But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
I did not grow up in a liturgical church setting so the concept of Lent never entered my grid, and in every church I served in, it was never something that fit in our theological box.
Over the past several years, I have been incorporating Bible reading plans and devotionals related to the Lenten season. This is a time for us to reflect on the cross and the events leading up to the cross.
Jim Lang, our Assistant to the President/CEO/Guest Services, blessed me with a Lenten Devotional by one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp.
I was extremely moved by the devotional for Day 2 that presented what the cross teaches us. While it wasn’t written as a list, I took the chapter and put it in list form as a way for me to focus on the cross over the next 40 days:
- The cross teaches us who we are.
- The cross teaches us what we need.
- The cross teaches us that sin is our problem and that rescuing, forgiving, transforming and delivering grace is the only medicine that will provide the cure we all need.
- The cross teaches us who God is.
- The cross teaches us that God is unrelentingly merciful.
- The cross teaches that God doesn’t look at sinners with disdain and disgust but with generous and tender love.
- The cross teaches us that we do not have to clean ourselves up to come to God; we only need to come in humble confession.
- The cross teaches us that when we do sin, God doesn’t give us a death sentence of condemnation but with a reminder once again of the completeness of His pardon.
- The cross allows unholy people to look in the face of an unholy God and have hope.
Three are eight more lessons and I will share those with you next week. Take some time this week to read over this list and maybe focus each day on one of the nine lessons. If you journal, write down what God is teaching you.
Living in the light of the gospel,
Bill Welte, President/CEO
America’s Keswick
Check out the Collingsworth Family – At Calvary
Written by Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his childhood sweetheart for 40+ years and has four married kids and 12 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.
