Friday

DEVOTION
JOHN 19
FRIDAY

Taking a day away from Thessalonians and reflecting for a moment upon the cross. As Friday approaches many Christians will be focusing on this cross. The meaning of the cross is a question which may be asked. Wednesday night prayer meeting such a question was asked and I had to sit and ponder in prayer as to how the cross has impacted my life. I sat and visualized the ugliness of the scene. Jesus beaten to a pulp, his back ripped open from the whip. The crown of thrones jabbing into his forehead and rather than being tied to the cross he was nailed. Large heavy spikes hammered through his bones. The scene was nothing beautiful, it was ugly. God showed me through this just how ugly my sin is because it was my sin Jesus took upon himself on the cross. I was seeing my ugly sin. Yet although he died on that cross for my sin as the plan God designed to provide for my salvation Jesus could have avoided the cross if he had but only gone along with the world system. The ways of the world were being threatened by Jesus. He was showing man how selfish and self centered they had become. He was declaring how corrupt, how the lust for money, power and sensuality had become their gods. If he had become a friend of the world they would not have demanded his crucifixion. If he had given them worldly freedom from the oppression of the Romans they would have hailed him as King. But he did not do these things, no did not embrace the ways of the world, he was focused on God and being what God had intended him to be, the lamb slain for the world. I was remained of how I am not to be a friend of the world, how I am not to embrace the ways of the world. The world system is still corrupt and the lust for power, money and sensuality are still the gods of the world. How can I embrace this? I can I focus on the things of God and what he intends for my life, when I am seeking those things? How can I be all that God wants me to be if I cannot place all my trust in him? I cannot comply with the ways of the world, but I must comply with the ways of God. If I am to take up my cross and follow him, I have to leave the gods of this world behind. All of them.