Jesus - You Didn't Have To Do What You Did, But You Did, And I Thank You

My Utmost For His Highest 

Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory? —Luke 24:26

CHAMBERS} “Our Lord’s Cross is the gateway into His life. His resurrection means that He has the power to convey His life to me. When I was born again, I received the very life of the risen Lord from Jesus Himself. Christ’s resurrection destiny— His foreordained purpose— was to bring “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). […] He was God Incarnate. He rose to a life that had never been before. And what His resurrection means for us is that we are raised to His risen life, not to our old life. […] Paul’s determined purpose was to “know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Philippians 3:10).  Jesus prayed, “…as You have given Him authority over all flesh that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:2). The term Holy Spirit is actually another name for the experience of eternal life working in human beings here and now.”

{ELGIN}  When I was in Haiti, I was asked why we worship the cross.  At first I didn’t know why they would thing that.  Then I realized that we had a cross hanging on the wall in our home.  Many of the volunteers that came wore crosses around their necks.  So I could see why they might think we were preoccupied with the cross itself.  So I explained that the cross was a reminder that Jesus had risen.  The Catholic crucifix is a reminder that Jesus died on the Cross.  The Christian’s empty cross is a reminder that Jesus was raised from the dead, victorious over sin and death which is why we have hope.  There is no hope in His death, only in His resurrection.  But a cross on the wall or on a chain around the neck is not sufficient.  It is not the cross that saves, it is Jesus who suffered and died on that cross and who was raised on the third day.  (Mark 15:29-32) “Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!” In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.””

That was the last temptation the Jesus faced.  Even hanging on the cross was not too late to stop what was happening to Him.  He faced  the same temptation that he experienced in the desert.  “If you are the Son of God then …..”  prove yourself.  Jesus did not come to avoid the cross but to endure it.  For our sakes. Mesi Jezi.  Thank you Jesus.