October 27: Nice Christians With Nice Crosses ________________________________________ Can you imagine wearing a miniature electric chair around your neck? Hardly. Yet, the cross was the electric chair of Jesus day. The cross – a tool for killing undesirables, was taken from rough, unfinished trees. When they slammed your body up against it and nailed you there, the wood dug into your flesh. You got cut and bruised. The electric chair – that cross, was an object of certain death. But the cross we wear around our neck these days is smooth. Comfortable. It glistens. Usually its made of 18 karat gold. An object of beauty. An ornament. Something nice to wear. And the cross most Christians bear for Jesus also has a rather nice, ornamental quality about it. Thats because we reserve the right to choose it ourselves. So we ensure that in serving Him we do something that makes us feel good, and get lots of pats on the back. Nope, theres nothing about our cross that has that nasty stench of dying flesh. Many Christians today, like the smooth crosses they wear, are nice people. They pay their bills. They dont chase loose women. Theyre the kind of nice people you want living next door: Totally harmless in terms of being any threat to Satans domain. By way of contrast, Jesus was not a gender-neutral, nonjudgmental, ecumenically-sensitive nice fellow who set out to produce nice people. No, today, He develops radicals, and revolutionaries, who because of their beliefs and convictions are an affront to society. People who are no longer in the loop. People in the company who get transferred to Iceland. Or get murdered. (Remember: 10 out of the original 12 disciples were murdered.) Thus, Christ forewarned his Twelve, If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: No servant is greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also… (John 15:18-20a) So, if you are viewed around town as a nice person, is it possible you are not really all that godly? Because, Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. (2 Timothy 3:12b) Jesus challenge remains, If anyone wants to follow in my footsteps, he must give up all right to himself, carry his cross every day and keep close behind me. For the man who wants to save his life will lose it, but the man who loses his life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23, 24 – Phillips Translation) The question also remains: Are you up to carrying His assigned cross? Certainly, the answer for each of us must be, Yes, but only by His grace. —Facts of the Matter
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 11:23:29 +0000
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