Thankful Thirty – The Blessing of the Cross

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I remember the first time I saw The Passion of the Christ. It was hard. I wanted to look away. Watching torture and suffering is horrible under any circumstances, but when I stop and realize Christ suffered my punishment. Wow!

I know, the word cross doesn’t really start with the letter X…

I’m going with the shape not the letter.

I’m thankful for the cross.

It tells me of God’s love.
It assures me of God’s forgiveness.
It means I don’t have to be perfect.
It encourages me to “Be Still.”
It means I don’t have to fear death.
It gives me hope for an eternal future.
It shows me I can trust God with everything in my life.

Quotes about the Cross

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.” ~John R.W. Stott

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

“In the Cross is salvation; in the Cross is life; in the Cross is protection against our enemies; in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness; in the Cross is strength of mind; in the Cross is joy of spirit; in the Cross is excellence of virtue; in the Cross is perfection of holiness. There is no salvation of soul, nor hope of eternal life, save in the Cross.” ~Thomas à Kempis

Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:7–8

“Righteousness and love, law and grace, life and death, as well as time and eternity all intersect at the cross; displaying a divine wisdom that staggers the imagination and leads the humble heart to bow in thankful adoration. To understand the cross of Christ is to understand the heart of God toward a fallen world He wants to save.” ~Steven Cook

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Hebrews 12:2

“In Jesus Christ on the Cross there is refuge; there is safety; there is shelter; and all the power of sin upon our track cannot reach us when we have taken shelter under the Cross that atones for our sins.” ~A.C.Dixon

Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right. And you are healed because of His wounds. 2 Peter 2:24

“Only in the Cross of Christ will we receive power when we are powerless. We will find strength when we are weak. We will experience hope when our situation is hopeless. Only in the Cross is there peace for our troubled hearts.” ~Michael Youssef

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.  Colossians 2:13–14

“His brokenhearted cry on the cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” shows God’s heart toward sinners.” John R. Rice

Father, Thank you for Your mercy. I deserve punishment and death. I try to obey, but I fail. I don’t love like You. I fall short of Your will for me way too often. Then You call me forgiven. Clean. Covered with the Jesus’ sacrifice. Father, help me live with humble gratitude with eyes focused on You and heart striving to follow wherever You lead. In Jesus precious name. Amen.

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