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?