The Cross of Christ: Your Invitation to an Abundant Life

Come March and you already know what’s in store. As the busiest month of the year for any professional- the past month has been really hectic. Year-ending, transitions, annual assessments, and a ‘chain’ of other events kept me engaged. There were days I went off to sleep without even putting in my ‘prayer logs.’

And yet today, I am completely undone by the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of Christ! My Savior never left me even though I didn’t put in all the effort in the world to love Him as much as He loves me.

Isn’t it amazing how truly selfless His love is? Everything Jesus has ever done or will do for ‘humans’ has nothing to do with how we perform. It isn’t a performance-based love!

He died for us even while we were sinners! (Romans 5:7-8)

What the Cross of Christ Has Done for Us

The cross of Christ has reclaimed our identity and inheritance as children of God. As a result, we are now entitled to

• Eternal Love– You can never be separated from the love of God in Christ. (Romans 8:38-39)
• Divine Protection– You dwell under the wings of Abba, where no evil can befall you. (Psalms 91)
• Eternal Salvation– You are sealed by the Holy Spirit, who guarantees your inheritance. (Ephesians 1:14)
• Divine Favor– You are the heir of Abraham, made righteous by faith and not works!(Galatians 3:29)
• Divine Identity- You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people! (1 Peter 2:9)

None of the privileges mentioned above have anything to do with who we were before we were called or what we have done or will do in the future!

But What If I Am Too Broken to Be Fixed?

If you, my friend, feel or think you are broken and lost beyond repair, there’s good news!

The cross of Christ is a finished work, completed 2000 years ago, that has overcome everything that’s dark, miserable, and ungodly about your life. You give Him your ashes, and He will give you double for your trouble. (Isaiah 61:3)

The goriest scene on this side of heaven was Christ crucified, naked, bleeding, and distorted beyond recognition as He hung on the cross.

Jesus was stripped apart so you could be clothed (Matthew 27: 28-30)

He was beaten so you could be healed (1 Peter 2:24)

He was spit at so you could be honored (Matthew 26:67)

He gave up more than just His body on the cross.

The King of the universe, the only Son of God, humbled Himself to the lowest ranks  (Philippians 2:8) so that we could be called sons of God. Truly, there is no one like Jesus, our Servant King.

The Empty Grave, The Abundant Life

Yesterday a few friends asked me, ‘Do you party on Easter?’ Good question.

Many of them are often puzzled by the term ‘Good Friday’- how could that Friday be good when a man was so horribly tortured and crucified? But it was not just some man who was put on the cross-it was Christ, the anointed one, sanctified and set apart for the salvation of the entire world.

The spotless lamb of God who took our sins, not just for today but for the entire eternity (1 Peter 1:19).

Good Friday is good because the cross of Christ is the hope for humanity.

There is the hope of redemption for all creation- a hope that was lost when the first man, Adam, sinned. We are no longer separated from Abba, but the love of Christ and His precious blood bind us together in an unbreakable, eternal fellowship.

Our new life, built on the cross of Christ, is an abundant life¹ (John 10:10) that shouts out to His empty grave. There is no more death, no more decay for us! (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).

Surely the world we live in has troubles, but His love and mercy follow us everywhere we go, all the days of our life, as we live in constant fellowship with Abba through Jesus Christ (Psalm 23:6)!

Come March, come April, come May to December,

I will dwell in the house of my Father, forever because of the cross of Christ!

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1. The Road To Eternal Happiness: How To Make It Last | SeeCaptions ↩︎