Take It To The Cross!

　

　

The message of the cross is the power of God. - 1 Corinthians 1:18

The little verse has dug into my soul for almost two weeks. The more I meditate on it, the deeper it sinks. The Cross had a place of prominence during my childhood. It was not something pulled out at Easter for the "children's play" or worn as a fashion statement or only used to make a point when engaged in religious arguments. The Cross was sacred and personal. Everything centered around the Cross at home and it was taken to heart. It was not mere symbolism.

　

This wonderful piece of artwork recently acquired by The National Gallery of Art's Board of Trustees (Thomas Moran’s "Mountain of the Holy Cross,") just made that verse swirl in my heart all over again. I kept thinking of my grandmother, my godmother and my elder aunts (now gone on to heaven), and how committed they were to living the message within our family. Things are so different today. We now barely have any remembrance of the Cross in the average Christian home or church. How do we daily take up (Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23) our cross if we don’t even really relate to His Cross? The Cross has been moved aside for the coffee bar and market place in the church lobby. The altar has been replaced with fancy lighting, TV equipment and sound. Is it possible that so many who think they are prospering are actually perishing in the pews (1 Corinthians 1:18) because the Cross has become once-a-year symbolism?

　

As the Cross goes, so goes the message (message of the cross). A reporter once asked President Obama why He chose Christ to follow (in spite of the fact that He is ridiculed as an unbeliever), and he answered that no other person in history has made that sacrifice (the Cross) of unconditional love for him. Too many of us have forgotten the message, the unconditional love; so we deny salvation to others. Now, many of us run around with a trumped-up image of Christ, but we have forgotten that His power was revealed in His stripped bare state. We have every emblem, from chicken sandwiches to fish decals, but the one that matters to sacrifice and salvation is not in our minds, much less in our hearts.

We forget that God is not like us (Isaiah 55:8-9). While we like to display our power by putting on a big show, God's power really shines most when all is laid bare... in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9, 2 Corinthians 13:4, Romans 8:29) .. in simplicity (1 Corinthians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 2:5).

I saw a "conservative" bumper sticker which said, "I'll keep my God, my guns and my money, and you can keep your change.". I got the sarcasm and mockery as I sat waiting for the light to change, but I felt strangely sad for that soul and prayed for them. A Christ follower would understand that we don't keep God; God keeps us. A Christ follower would understand that only God's grace and mercy is true protection. Satan fears only one weapon: The Word, the Spirit, of God. A Christ follower would live with the knowledge that everything on earth belongs to God, and the dime or two in their pocket is but a temporary possession. A Christ follower would not hold grudges over change, for everything will change but God. Love never fails because He is love (1 John 4:16) the Word never fails because He is the Word (John 1:1, Revelation 19:13).

　

Most of all, a Christ follower would learn to take it to the Cross. The Cross is the place of ultimate change, of forgiveness, of healing, of mercy, of sacrifice, of unconditional and unending love. No political or social message, however "moral" or "religious", can bring change like the Cross can. It is the Cross; the power of God, that changes the inner beings and revives our spirit.

　

Let us renew our minds (Ephesians 4:23). Instead of mocking change, we should be running to the Cross; submitting all that we are to the power of God. Once we experience the Cross, we won't need a bumper sticker with a message; our changed lives will reflect the message...God is love.

　

Let us live as if It is finished. All of it, whatever it is, is finished. Let us take it to the Cross. Some of us are carrying too much baggage and labeled with too many bumper stickers. We need to strip bare. If we get nothing else today, may we know, in spirit and truth, the message of Cross. Let the church say, "Amen."

For although He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God; and we also are weak with Him, but we are living with Him by the power of God, who is in you. - 2 Corinthians 13:4

　

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Check Your Engines!

The concept of smaller being greater often blows the human mind, especially when we are constantly being sold the BIGGER IS BETTER message...in the church. I’ve been meditating on a few things since Wanda’s blog on ripples (http://wateredsoul.com/), and yesterday the POWER OF SMALLER was back in focus for me again.

　

I’m a NASA junkie. If there is such a thing as being in love with a space shuttle, then I declare that I’m in love with every space shuttle. Yesterday the beloved folks at Explore Space (Kennedy Space Center) posted this "Fun Fact": "The Space Shuttle main engine weighs 1/7th as much as a train engine, but delivers as much power as 39 locomotives!"

　

I want you to take a moment to think about that? That statement is one of the many things that fascinates me with space transportation. Have you ever seen a space shuttle piggyback ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5eFiZaVN3w) on a Boeing 747? It has driven me crazy over the years, because I just can’t figure out the big/small dynamics. I’m not an engineer (my thinking is more artistic than scientific), but the "Fun Fact" from Kennedy Space Center got me right back to thinking about the POWER OF SMALLER and ripples.

　

Do you know that many people who die in water disasters, like tsunamis, did not realize the power of a ripple? They did not realize the power behind what SEEMED LIKE VERY SMALL WAVES. I reviewed one tsunami research video which says that the water gets shallower as the tsunami gets slower, but in the shallower area the amplitude of the tsunami increases and the tsunami’s energy gets denser. What does that mean to an ordinary person? It means that those seemingly "slow" ripples (very small waves) fool people. The fact is that a "slow" tsunami ripple is actually traveling with power and speed equivalent to an Olympic sprinter (which the average person cannot outrun).

　

Never underestimate a ripple. While you’re looking for BIGGER you may miss the POWER OF SMALLER. It’s time to check your engines!

　

I may not be an engineer, but I thought it was time for an engine check. Engine derives from ingenium ("inborn qualities, talent") and engin ("skill, craft"), and engineer derives from ingeniare ("inventor, designer") and an engineer was known in the early days as "constructor of military engines."

If you think I love space shuttles, I love cars even more (basically, I love figuring out the dynamics). The fastest, most powerful cars are the VERY SMALL. They are engineered for ultimate power and speed. THEY ARE VERY SMALL, BUT NOT DESIGNED TO FAIL. They are either working as they are designed to or not at all.

　

God is your engineer. He designed you with the power and speed for every combative situation you’ll ever encounter. Can a jumbo jet do what a fighter jet can? No. Can a garbage truck do what a Ferrari can? No. Each engine is designed for a purpose. Like the Bugatti Veyron or a space shuttle, you will face obstacles, but you are designed the way you are for a purpose. You may seem very small, only a ripple in the BIGGER IS BETTER world, to people who can’t see under the surface, who don’t know the power that is roaring on the inside; but like a little engine, you pack more power on the inside than is apparent to the human eyes.

　

Whether or not you can keep moving forward or climbing higher does not depend on the size or the weight of the engine, but on who your engineer is and the purpose for which your engine is designed and powered. Is God not your engineer? Is God not the one who fills you with power and purpose?

　

Don’t worry about BIGGER IS BETTER folks, who look at you like, "why are you in this race? Why are you even on the track?". God knows the weight of even the winds and the waters (Job 28:25); He is the one who balances what seems inequitable in this life (Proverbs 16:11). Don’t let weight (big or small) keep you out of the race (Hebrews 12:1). There was no guesswork in putting you together.

Jesus saw people, especially the rich, dropping their gifts into the temple offering box. He noticed a poor widow drop in two small coins. He said, "I can guarantee this truth: This poor widow has given more than all the others. All of these people have given what they could spare. But she, in her poverty, has given everything she had to live on." - Luke 21:1-4

That poor woman’s one act made a ripple that touched Jesus. What ripple will you cause that touches Him today?

　

Think about Ecclesiastes 11 (cast your bread on the waters). That Scripture always creates an image in my mind. There is a lake I like to visit and I often throw out pieces of bread and watch it make little ripples on the water and drift away. The bread is light, the ripples it make are barely noticeable. It possibly feeds some of the wildlife around; but the truth is I really don’t know where God takes it or how He uses it after I put it out there. Would it feed a duck or a crocodile or worse? It might feed something that might come back and try to bite me! Who knows? I throw it out there anyway.

　

To paraphrase from Ecclesiastes 11 (The Message): "Don't sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don't stare at the clouds. Get on with your life...You'll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does."

　

No, I don’t understand how an engine or a ripple works, but I know they work and I know they are more powerful than I can imagine. That is also the way of God’s grace.

Your little engine is powered with God’s grace. Your little wave is a ripple of God’s word. When you touch others, even in a VERY SMALL way, you touch the Lord. Don’t be fooled by BIGGER IS BETTER. Don’t wait around for BIGGER; God is looking for your SMALLER. Make your move! God has His eyes on the ripples. He’s watching the VERY SMALL. Get on the track. Get in your lane. Check your engines. Go ahead. Now, rev your little engine; make that little wave. So what if it’s only a ripple. God has a plan for that ripple and it’s packed with power and purpose! Let it rip!

　

There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise: Ants—they aren’t strong, but they store up food all summer. Hyraxese—they aren’t powerful, but they make their homes among the rocks. Locusts—they have no king, but they march in formation. Lizards—they are easy to catch, but they are found even in kings’ palaces. - Proverbs 30:24-28

　

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with a lot. - Luke 16:10

　

He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness." I shall therefore joyfully boast in my sufferings, that the power of The Messiah may rest upon me. - 2 Corinthians 12:9

　

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. - Isaiah 40:29

　

It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. - 1 Corinthians 3:7

　

I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being. - Ephesians 3:16　<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/420c-3Tgo8M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
　

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