*CONTEMPLATING THE CROSS*
_How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!_ *1 Corinthians 15:57*
There is a story of a man who was trying to start his own religion, but it wasn’t going very well so far. He decided to approach the French statesman, Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, and ask him what he should do to gain converts. The statesman told him, “I recommend that you get yourself crucified, die, and then rise again on the third day.”
Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection on the third day is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It is what sets our faith as Christians apart from the faith of all others. Many view Christ’s crucifixion as a rude interruption of what was an otherwise successful ministry. But the cross was at the forefront of the mind of Jesus Christ from the very beginning. This is where He knew He was headed, and He spoke of it often.
The Bible even tells us that before He even came to this earth, a decision was made that He would ultimately go to the cross. Scripture describes Jesus as “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Revelation 13:8).
It was at the cross that the righteous demands of God were satisfied. It was at the cross that God and humanity were reconciled once again. It was at the cross that a decisive blow was dealt against Satan and his subordinates. It was at the cross that our very salvation was purchased. It is by the cross that we are able to lay aside the old corrupt nature and put on the new nature created after the image of God in holiness and righteousness. It is by the cross that we die to the world and therefore overcome the world. It is at the cross that we exchange our shame for the glory of God.
_*Prayer:* Father, open my eyes to see the glory of the cross of Christ._
*Scriptural Reading:* 1 Corinthians 15:50-58
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