The cross or the man
on the cross?
Weekly Devotion April
3rd, 2015
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,
but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)
My first encounter with the Cross was at the age ten when my
father put me in the Catholic school . St Joseph’s Primary school . Every
morning students assembled and behind the stage was this five foot crucifix of
Jesus. . I was fascinated at the dead man hanging on the cross . I would ask my
parents about Jesus and they would always tell me that we believe in Him.
Period.
As I grew up, I got interested in
God and wanted to experience Him. It is like I had this hunger for God since I
was a child. I wanted to find Him. Spirituality interested me. I would often go
to the catholic bookshop and wonder at the rosary with the cross that was
attached to it. I would buy one and I
would remove the cross and carry it my pocket and then much later I would even wear it with a chain as a talisman. My Muslim religion had amulets
which were given to us to ward of evil. When we had some kind of fear or needed
protection from evil , then the mullah could make us one. When my life was
filled with anxiety and fears Mullah Akbar my religion teacher had given me one
to wear. I even covered it with a pure silver box and wear as necklace . I also thought
the cross could help me .But my sickness fears and sinful life got worse and nothing could
help me.
I have seen crosses everywhere. I
have seen people wearing as necklace or
earrings . A lot of people think it is a piece of beautiful jewelry. A lot of houses
have it on their walls. I have one in my home office too. The truth is, the crucifix
cannot save you. The cross does not save you. It is the MESSAGE of the cross that saves you. The message of the cross is the power of the
God. I Stood in front of the cross for
three years in the school, I prayed too and wore too but it did not prevent Satan to enter my life . Satan enters
also in the churches with all the crosses high on the steeple. But the Message
about Jesus Christ who was crucified ( On the cross) and raised from the dead
is the one that saves you. When I heard this message the power of God saved me
and healed me. Believe in Jesus and him
who died for your sin and by his stripes you were healed. You will be saved!
Only the Cross
Through the centuries many schemes have
been propounded for uplifting mankind and “bringing in the kingdom of God.”
These grand-sounding schemes have failed because they ignore the greatest power
of all—the regenerating power of Jesus Christ in human hearts.
Many years ago,
Dr. Lyman Abbott, prominent pastor in Brooklyn, New York, resigned his church.
He stated in his letter of resignation: “I see that what I had once hoped might
be done for my fellows through schemes of social reform and philanthropy can
only be done by the influence of Jesus Christ. There is no dynamo in reform
save the Cross of Jesus Christ!”[1]
[1]
Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations
for preaching and teaching (p. 92). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman
Publishers.
No comments:
Post a Comment