AN INSPIRATIONAL MESSAGE FOR march 2018 – All roads lead to the Cross: Courtesy of Nayomini R Weerasooriya

“The message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are saved it is the power of God…” – 1 Corinthians 1:18 As Christians, for us, life’s journey is all about the Cross. With a focus on the Cross and its deep meaning, everything comes into a proper perspective. Often, it is easy to lose focus on the most important symbol of our faith. It is easy to get lost in the religiosity, the systems, the familiar symbols and it is easy to become an extension of the world and lose ourselves in carnal pursuits. Yet one look at the empty Cross will bring us out of everything, enabling us to focus singularly on the Saviour.

The Cross was and is the centre of our faith. It is Jesus and Jesus alone – the price He paid for our sins on the Cross, the blood He shed that heals, protects and restores us. The more we learn to meditate on the Cross, the more we realize how much of our egos must be crucified as we welcome our Saviour more and more into our lives. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me” – Galatians 2:20 The Cross not only liberates us from carnality but also sets us free into a fresh dimension of faith and liberty. The true Christian life is lived with the daily, constant focus on the Cross.

The more we gaze at its beauty, its message, its eternal presence in our lives, the more we are transformed into the kind of people Jesus wants us to be. The Cross looms over our lives – and its message is never too far. Fellowship with our Saviour, learning at His feet, humbling ourselves under the Word renews our inner man. I have personally discovered the beauty of quiet fellowship with our Lord at the foot of the Cross, and nothing comes closer to it. Such fellowship is when all anxieties fade away and you see yourself renewed, transformed, healed, restored and set truly free. Sometimes there is no need to ask for anything or even say anything; the Lord just makes connections with His people that bring the Cross into its proper perspective and its power will almost always bring you to your knees.

The Cross-is where all roads end. Where there is hope when all else says hope is lost. The Cross-is where medical diagnosis that seems so fatal sometimes fades into supernatural healing…where faith is restored and lives transformed. The Cross stands tall over debt, debauchery, abuse and other vile ways of man. Faced with the Cross, we can only be redeemed from the curse.

The majesty of the Cross never fails to overwhelm us when we are stuck in a rut. It fills us with joy and retains the peace Our Lord gave us. It assures us that everything is ok and that His shoulders are never too small to carry our burdens.

“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:29 Rest is indeed what we find at the feet of the Cross. Because Christ Jesus died on the Cross for us and rose on the third day and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, we can turn our eyes on the Cross and be guided by its power. Rest is what we find when we leave all our cares in His hands and affirm to ourselves that He can handle much more than we expect Him to. And be assured that He always and will always come through.

The best testimonies to the grace of Our Lord come from experiences that humble us and teach us just how much we must rely on Him to take us where He wants us to go. Everyday, the Cross stands in the midst of our lives and enable us to learn afresh. There is so much we learn from the Cross – its shadow is spread over our lives, its fragrance perfumes our lives and enables us to reach out to others in pain.

Galatians 3: 13 tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. The Cross is where Our Lord turned that curse into a blessing, empowering us on from high.

The Cross is where our pain becomes our blessing, our comfort zones fades into fresh challenges and we are able to come face to face with everything our Saviour wants us to experience. There’s nothing we can aspire to outside the shadow of the Cross. Some of us have tried and come back empty handed. Some of us have rejected the Cross and gone back to the world but have come back, having realized that the world has nothing to offer in equation with the Cross.

The Cross does not merely symbolize Christian faith – nor is it to be looked at during Lent and Good Friday alone. The more we make the Cross a very active part of our daily lives, the more we experience the kind of faith that can move mountains and empower our lives.

Courtesy of Nayomini R Weerasooriya