Thought of the Day !!

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 (NIV)

Have you ever thought about the message of the cross?  I mean today we speak of Jesus and God the Father, even the Holy Spirit.  We wear crosses around our necks.  We place them in important places in our homes, have pictures of them on our walls.  But how often do we look at them and wonder about the message that it has for us.

When Paul spoke to the Corinthians about the message of the cross being foolish to those perishing, he was meaning that the idea of a condemned criminal (which Jesus was in earthly terms) dying so that the world could be saved was ludicrous.  And all who believed this idea to be a crazy made up fairy tale would perish, never knowing the Truth.

The message of the cross is all about how Jesus, the Son of God, gave up the greatness of Heaven to come to this earth and die for our sins to give us a way out of our imprisoned lives.  But it doesn't end there.  For you cannot have the cross without the resurrection, at least not if there is a powerful God.  The cross showed the love of God in sending His Son.  The Resurrection showed the power of God over death. 

Has the message of the cross (and subsequent resurrection) changed you?  It is easy to say that it has saved us.  We can claim Jesus as Lord and Savior and say that because of the cross we are saved.  But has it changed us?  You see, when the Holy Spirit enters in and Jesus truly lives within us, it's not just that we believe that we must be morally better people.  The presence of God in us changes us.  Have you been changed?  If so, then Christ resides in you, and the message of the cross is alive in you.

In the love of Christ,
greg