Have You Noticed the Cross

I was on my way into town this morning, stopped at the red light leading out of our subdivision when I glanced over to read the marquee on the church near us. This has been a constant source of amusement as they have managed, each week, to display some pithy saying right after their Pastor's name making it seem, inadvertently, like a running commentary on the Pastor himself. Fortunately, all that seems to be resolved as they are now having a Pot Luck luncheon on the Pastor's name :0)

Now, my morning was going along pretty typically up to this point. I was totally lost in thought, planning my day and making an effort to take mental notes on what I wanted to accomplish. When I looked at the sign, I noticed something I had never seen before. Something that may or may not have been there all along. There was a weathered cross standing just to the right of the sign. The thought struck me, as I was so centered on my day, my agenda, my desires, my hopes for the day, my fears and my concerns; "I missed the cross!"

I Cor 1:18 says, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. " It is clear from this passage that the very cross I was so successfully overlooking embodied the very power I needed to get me through my day. Meanwhile, there I was, trying to work it out myself.

You see? I was going along my merry way, totally consumed with what I wanted out of my day. It had not occured to me to ask my Father in heaven what He wanted for my day. It did not even enter my thought process that our Lord had given up His life on a cross much like the one I was staring at so that I could, in turn, give my day back to Him. The cross that I had managed to miss was the message that God wanted me to transmit in the way I live my life, "It's all about Jesus!.....It's about God's desire in our lives, not our own.....His power, not ours!"

Scripture is clear that the cross is a stumbling block to non-believers. I pray that we, as believers can avoid tripping over it ourselves by not taking it into consideration as we move through our day. Every decision we make should take into consideration the sacrifice that God made in order to give us the opportunity to glorify and honor Him with our decisions. I'm so thankful that God has given us a simple yet eloquent reminder of that gift, a cross.