Focused on the Cross in all Circumstances

Staying focused on Christ and his cross is an essential in hard times.  When the world presses in on us, we have a refuge.  At the cross, our greatest sin is forgiven.  We are restored to the image of Jesus Christ.  We are reminded that Christ has overcome the world. 

 

In the same way that the world was lost through a bite of fruit, the world was won through one man’s death and resurrection.  Jesus carried all sin and death into the grave with him and buried it there.  Whatever guilt or shame we bear is merely a reminder of the truth that we are sinners and is meant only to drive us to claim again the truth that Jesus is a great Savior. 

 

It strikes me how often I flee to other comforts.  The comfort of a good home.  The comfort of a family who love me.  The comfort of health.  The comfort of gifts and talents.  The comfort of stability.  But when one of these seems to have shaky foundations, it becomes apparent that these things can’t save me.  They are idols, and a poor replacement for the wonderful salvation we have in Christ.  They can’t promise what he can.  They can’t deliver what he can.  But when all the other options have been tried, when I finally run out of answers, Christ is there. 

 

And he does satisfy with his grace, covering over my sin, suffering punishment on my behalf.  He also satisfies with his goodness.  He is a wonderful person, who carefully yet naturally avoided the clumping cliques of humanity, speaking easily for God and against every faction and special interest group.  Jesus alone speaks entirely with and for God.  Thus, he frustrates us when he does things we love, and then something we don’t understand and won’t conform to our expectations.  But we also love him for this.  “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways.” Says Isaiah 55:8. 

 

We learn to appreciate this when we wrestle long enough with our God-resentments and wrestle over them with God in prayer.  We appreciate it because although God wrestles with us, God uses the encounter to teach us what it means to actually wrestle with him and not another human being like ourselves.  Who do we think we are, to wrestle with God this way?  And yet, we come away simultaneously weaker and stronger – weaker, for we see the truth about who we are compared to God – but also, stronger, because God drew near to us.  We saw him.  We heard his voice. 

 

We come to love the God for who he is, not for who we’d sometimes like him to be.  We come to appreciate that God doesn’t cater to our whims, fancies, and desires, and we see that it is fitting that we should instead conform ourselves to him.  Rather than grudgingly accept this, we embrace it because our sin has been punished in him.  He is the one with the wounds in his wrists, wounds which say our name, and continually plead before God the Father in solidarity with us.  It is such good news – we are part of the life of God through Jesus Christ.