To Buy My Own Cross

As a result of my blogging and prayer life this week, I need to make a trip to Hobby Lobby. I think I can fully justify to my husband a NEED to buy one of those decorative crosses I mentioned yesterday. In fact, maybe we should pick one out together to hang prominently in our home. . .

As a symbol, the cross is very weighty.

I spent my time blogging yesterday on just a small part of what Christ accomplished on it for our behalf. For those reasons alone, we should use the cross as a symbol, reminding us of its significance to the believer.

But let's not forget that Jesus himself used the cross as a symbol. In Luke 9:23, He tells us that we must daily take up our cross and follow him.

How do we boast in the cross of Christ as Paul said?

By daily allowing our old self to crucified with Him, so we no longer live, but that He would make us alive in Him. In Galatians 6:14 where Paul tells that he will boast only in the cross of Christ, he also says that it by the cross the world has been crucified to him and he to the world.

The cross is a symbolic reminder that we daily die to our worldly, fleshly desires in order that we will  live for Him.

Again, the cross shows both cruel death and simple hope. The death of my flesh that my spirit will live.

The cross points out that He must increase, I must decrease. The cross reminds me to lay aside my old self and focus on Him, the Author and Perfecter of my faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) with all its shame and pain and cruelty.

His cross compels me to pick up mine.

While I am not sure the kind of decorative cross that I want to buy at Hobby Lobby, I know I want to hang this symbolic reminder some place in my house that when I look I at it I will truly see it, stopping to contemplate all that it personally represents to me.

• I want to think about how His death sentence and punishment should've been mine. (I don't think the one I buy will be too frilly.)
• I want to be reminded about all that He accomplished for me on that tree. (I think it needs to be of a pretty good size.)
• I want to pick up my cross, bearing the burden of putting to death my flesh so I can live for Him. (Maybe  it just needs to be a simple, no-nonsense kind of cross...)

Can you see my journey this week? From looking over all the crosses to being overwhelmed with all they represent, God has patiently led me into a deeper understanding and appreciation for what the cross truly symbolizes.

I pray that this Holy Week, you will allow Him to lead you closer to the cross as well.