Beyond the Cross

Beyond the Cross. I was flipping through the channels the other night and came across an old episode of the World’s Strongest Man competition on ESPN Classic. I stopped to watch for a minute before going to bed. These guys are freaks of nature with their feats of strength. The amount of weight they can lift, push and carry goes beyond human abilities. One of the events was to carry two large weighted objects down and back before they could put it down by crossing the line. The fastest to do it was the winner.

One of the guys dropped one of the weights too early before crossing the line and had to pick up both weights and try a second time to get them both over the finish line. Bringing the weights to the line didn’t count, they had to carry them beyond the line to secure victory.

As Christians, we tend to do the same thing. When Christ tells us to bring the heavy weight of our fears, sorrows and burdens to the foot of the Cross and leave them there, we tend to want to carry them beyond the Cross. Maybe we think that leaving them at the Cross will not secure the victory and that only carrying them farther will do so. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:29-30.

When we bring our burdens to Christ and lay them at His feet, only to pick them up again when we leave, we show a lack in faith that Christ can handle our burdens. God knows us better than anyone and understands what we are going through and He wants to help us through our trials. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” - Hebrews 4:15-16.

Brothers and sisters, bring your burdens to Christ and leave them at the foot of the Cross. He is willing and able to bear all your burdens and make intercession for you to the Father. Do not bear the burden alone and do not pick them back up once you lay them down. We do not need to carry them beyond the Cross.

Have a great day and God bless.

Marks of a Christian

Marks of a Christian. We use a lot of symbols to signify our beliefs as Christians. Some people wear the crucifix around their necks or on their finger or maybe even dangling from their ears. Some have the Christian fish symbol applied to the trunk of their car. Many people have the “Thank You Jesus” signs in their yards. All of these are great things but what about marks of action that show we are who we say we are: Christians. It’s a bit hypocritical to have these symbols as Christians but we don’t “act” like Christians.

So, how are we supposed to “act” if we really are Christians? I think the Apostle Paul gave us a great list in Romans chapter 12 of what the marks of a Christian should include:

9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.

15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.

18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."

20 To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. - Romans 12:9-21.

If we, who call ourselves Christians, live by these things outlined in Romans 12:9-21, we will show the world who we are and what we believe. We won’t have to wear a crucifix, or have a fish on our car or a sign in our yard; people will know by how we act and treat others.

Have a great day and God bless.

Rear View Mirror

Rear view mirror. Driving just under 700 miles twice this past week, through sun and rain and snow, had me spending a lot of my time looking in the rear view mirror of the car. Driving in bad conditions like rain and snow makes you concentrate on what is going on behind you for safety reasons. You never know when you might have to change lanes quickly to avoid something or slow down quickly because of stopped traffic, and knowing where cars behind you are located is important. It’s just as important to know what’s going on behind you as it is to know what is going on in front of you.

I’ve heard it mentioned that the front windshield is so much larger than the rear view mirror because where you are going is more important than where you have been. That statement is mostly true, but our past experiences are important in making our future decisions. Our past failures and successes help us make better decisions on our future. But we should not spend too much time worrying about the things in our rear view mirror, we should learn from them and move on.

“Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead” - Philippians 3:13. The Apostle Paul stated that he forgot what was already behind him (his past failures) and instead continued to strive toward those things that God had prepared for him that lie ahead. If anyone could have looked back on his life and regretted some of the things he had done, it was Paul. However, he left them behind and pressed forward.

Are there things in your rear view mirror that are keeping you from moving forward into the things that God has already prepared for you?  Do you keep looking back instead of looking forward?  Take the example of Paul, forget those things and move forward toward the prize. God has great things planned for you through the front windshield of life. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:10.

Have a great day and God bless.