"Thoughts on the Cross"

She was an humble and kind lady. People that know her realize how devoted and dedicated she is to the Lord. As she spoke with me, her heart poured forth troubles. It was evident in her struggle that she loved her Lord but her failures over-whelmed her at times. She was struggling with sin in her life. Have you ever been there? She spoke to a close friend of hers about it and they didn't help much. They just shrugged it off saying we all struggle at times. It will be alright. It was not alright to her as her sincere faith wanted to over-come sin in her life. People might look good outwardly but inwardly they can be a mess!

We need to take sin seriously. God sure does! It seems more and more of those claiming Christ take sin so lightly. I hear little comments here and there. It is right to denounce sin and it is even more right to oppose it in our lives. We don't need to be running and rubbing shoulders with the world but we do need to let them see that we aren't opposed to them. God is trying to save the lost and sometimes, the lost is us! "For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:17) God is not waiting around to destroy someone, sending them to the pits of hell. Here is God at His height: our sin provoked our Holy Father to mount a great rescue operation through His Son.

God is opposed to sin, all sin! His opposition to sin is pitiless and ceaseless! But let's not forgot this: God has a relentless love for us, the sinful! Here are a few things to think about as you struggle in your life in battles against sin:

(1) The cross of Jesus did not bribe God to adopt a forgiving mood! The cross of His Son was the expression of His eternal love for us.

(2) The cross of Jesus did not buy grace from God! The cross of Jesus was the unveiling of an eternally gracious God.

(3) The cross of Jesus did not persuade an unwilling heavenly Father to come to our rescue! The cross of Christ was the ultimate demonstration that God had already, from the beginning, moved that way.

Put some thought into these things and as you find difficulties in your walk, realize what the cross is speaking loudly. Our God is not wishing any to perish!