At The Cross

This is a devotional I wrote awhile back on the song "At The Cross" by Polen www.polenband.com and I wanted to share it with you.

AT THE CROSS
(words and music by Jeff Polen ©2005 Jeff Polen Music / ending words written by Eric Kaufman, Jeff Kaufman, and Maynard Miller ©2009)

You have asked me for everything
But You have given me more than I gave You
And I have found that when I’m nothing
I am everything in You

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me

I am a stranger in a strange land
You are still the same
And You are always right beside me
Every time I call Your name, Jesus

When I’m weak You make me strong
When I’m down You give me words to a song
And it picks me up again
And I lay my burdens down
At the cross again
And then it’s only You and me


Has music ever brought you to tears? What about the realty of truth? I was able to get a pre-release copy of the cd and I remember the first time I heard this song. It was one of those days when things aren’t going well and you just want to get in your car and drive. As I was driving along listening to “At The Cross” tears started to stream down my face. In that moment the reality of the cross hit me. The truth of scripture meant something to me. The sacrifice the Jesus made for me, the grace that I do not deserve, and the eternal life in Him that I have received brought tears of joy to my eyes. In this moment of weakness in my life the cross made me strong, it picked me up again, and I was able to lay my burdens down. What does the cross mean to you?

I love the term “weight of truth.” Have you ever felt the “weight of truth?” That’s what happened to me in that car ride. In the story of the crucifixion I love how the centurion finally felt the weight of truth.

“When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”” – Matthew 27:54

He got it. The fact that Jesus was really the Son of God, that he was the Messiah resonated. The weight of that truth came crashing down. In fact in Luke’s account it says they were said to have “beaten their breasts” which refers to grief and repentance. What does the cross mean to you? When was the last time you ask God to help you believe? He desires to give you faith, he desires to help you believe, but he is looking to you to ask.

Someone once told me “you can’t out give God.” I constantly think about that truth. Not only do I think about that in terms of my finances but to get more to the core my selfishness. There are many times I have made excuses to God. Many times I have let God know just how much I have given up for him. Things like friends I love, a business career in professional sports, money, girls, lifestyle, etc. Usually right away God lets me know that he has given me more than I gave him. He lets me know that he has asked me for everything and rightfully deserves everything.

This begs the question, “why would God ask me for everything? Couldn’t he just ask for most of me and that way I can still enjoy some guilty pleasures?” The answer lies in the third and fourth line, “I have found that when I’m nothing I am everything in You.” How much do you rely on God? One of the reasons God asks us for everything is that it removes barriers that keep us from him. It reminds me of the passage in 2 Corinthians 8:9-10.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

God gave us more than we could ever give him at the cross. At the cross Jesus was crucified. At the cross our sins were paid for. The cross is where we need to be. We need to remember the sacrifice, the love, the pain, and the humility of Jesus coming to earth and taking on flesh to become a ransom for many. What emotions, feelings, and thoughts does the cross of Christ create in you? What goes through your head when you think about Jesus Christ as a spotless, blameless, perfect Lamb of God, who died for you. Think about it, we were broken, fallen, and worthless, yet he died, he died for us. I hope today that you remember the cross. That you would remember he has asked you for everything but has given you so much more. That you would let go of the temporal and hold on to the eternal.

“I was spotless, I was blameless, and I was the perfect Lamb of God. You were broken, fallen, worthless, yet I died. I DIED FOR YOU!”

WHAT DOES THE CROSS MEAN TO YOU?

Offense

This week I started lifting more weights than normal and can real feel a difference. I am becoming more sore but feel stronger. My times at the gym this week were purposeful and I had others working out with me. I didn't just go through the motions but worked hard and I feel better and stronger because of it. I often wonder if this example transfers over to my spiritual life. Ephesians 6:10 says,

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might."

Paul continues to go to write about putting on the armor of God and reminded us that we are in a spiritual battle and we need to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Just think about an actual battle for a second. If you had to go fight a massive army who would you pick to go with you? Wouldn't you want the biggest, strongest, mightiest person you could find? If this is the case then why so often do we go into the spiritual battle without the biggest, strongest, mightiest person we know? We give up too quickly, we try to do it ourselves, and we often time end up defeated and weak.

I would encourage you to read Ephesians 6:10-20. Take a look at your spiritual walk and see if you are strong in the Lord. As children of God, co-heirs with Christ we have the Holy Spirit to help us. We have a God who has given us weapons and strength to fight this fight of faith. My prayer is that today you would understand that it is a spiritual battle, that you wouldn't just try to play defense but that you would fasten the belt of truth, that you would put on the breastplate of righteousness, take of the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation and play offense with the sword of the Spirit. Remember that the weapons for warfare are spiritual and should be rooted in prayer.

Believing Lies

He(The Devil) was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. - John 8:44b

Were you the gullible little kid? Maybe you are that person that falls for every sales gimmick. If we all take an honest look at our lives we will find at some points in our everyday life we believe lies. The world and the prince of this world are experts at feeding us lies and we so often believe them as truth. Right now I want you to think about how you feel about yourself. What are you believing? Are you living defeated? depressed? constantly in despair? Are you believing lies or the truth of the Bible? Are you believing human words or God's Words?

When we are living defeated 9 times out of 10 we are believing lies.

So the question you may be asking is "how do I stop believing lies?" Well I don't claim to have all the answers but the key is knowing and believing the Word of God. Here are some suggestions or steps that can help.

• Identify the lies you are believing
• Find Scripture verses that deal with those lies
• Know your identity in Christ (visit www.ficm.org/whoiam.htm)
• Become a prayer warrior

I want to encourage you to check out the Off The Wall website (www.offthewallministry.com). We are having a retreat in February with the theme "Labels." The reason for the theme is this very idea of believing lies and then in turn labeling ourselves. These labels then in turn tend to run our lives. I hope you can make it out, we pray that it would be a powerful two days where God will reveal the lies you are believing and replace them with the truth of Scripture. I want to encourage you today to check out the Freedom in Christ Ministry link above and take some time to see what your Biblical identity is "In Christ."

Overwhelmed by Grace

As I was working out this morning it hit me. I can't even come to fathom the grace of God. Really, think about it for a second. Do we realize how blessed we are? Do we understand that we were destined for eternal condemnation? We were objects of God's wrath (Ephesians 2:3).

"But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ - by grace you have been saved." - Ephesians 2:4-5

If you are like me then often times you forget the "great love with which he loved us." Our circumstances and situations in life leave us often times feeling unloved. The sense of loneliness may surround us when we take our eyes of the cross of Jesus Christ and forget about his love and grace.

Hillsong sings a song called "To Know Your Name" and the lyrics go like this:

The precious blood of Jesus Christ redeems
Forgiven I'm alive restored set free
Your majesty resides inside of me
Forever I believe
Forever I believe
Arrested by Your truth and righteousness
Your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness
Convicted by Your spirit led by Your word
Your love will never fail
Your love will never fail

The line that sticks out to me is "your grace has overwhelmed my brokenness." So my question is has it? Has the grace of God overwhelmed your brokenness? I want to encourage you today to reflect on the Scripture from Ephesians and the lyrics from the song. My prayer for you today is that the grace of God will overwhelm your brokenness.