The Cross is Safe but Not Comfortable

The Cross is a safe place to be, but it is not always a comfortable place to be. We know that our salvation was won on the Cross. Jesus bore the weight of our sins and that God’s wrath was poured out on him on the Cross. The Cross is where our sins were paid. So, for us, the Cross is a place of safety. Satan can no longer accuse us as believers. The victory that Jesus won was given to us. In Genesis, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. In that moment Abraham was declared righteous. When we are saved this is what takes place in our lives. We confess our sins, ask Jesus to save us and believe in Jesus as our savior. We are then declared right before God. The ultimate victory is won. We know that we are a child of God, that His Holy Spirit walks with us day by day and then when we die we go to be in His presence. That is the ultimate victory. We need to recognize though, that we still live in this broken and sinful world. Satan is described as a "roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 3) This does not mean we can lose our salvation, but that Satan will try to harm our walk, our witness and our intimacy with God. There are many believers today that have become pray to Satan.

The reason the Cross is an uncomfortable place is that Jesus asks us to surrender all. He instructs us to count the cost of following Him (Luke 14:25-33). He tells us to pick up our Cross, an instrument of death, and to follow Him. At the Cross we give up the life we know for the life God has created us for. Jesus said, “I come to give life and life more abundant.” (John 10:10) This life is not found living our way. Isaiah described our righteousness as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Furthermore, God does not want us to stay where we are. Salvation becomes the beginning point of a life long journey with Jesus. The more that we get to know Him the more He has us to try. Jesus is constantly challenging us to grow in Him. Part of this growth is the knowledge of Him. Part of this growth also is in serving Him. The largest part of this growth however, will be in trusting and obeying Him.

The Cross is a marker in our lives. We are either headed toward the Cross, where we find a relationship with Jesus or the Cross is the marker for the beginning of our journey with Jesus. We will often return to this place of surrender. We will ponder what Jesus has done for us. We will celebrate the Cross and we will worship at the Cross. The Cross is also a reminder of our need to humbly submit to the will of our Heavenly Father. It is also a reminder that this is not home. The Cross is a safe place to be but it is not a comfortable place to be.