day 18: the cross: are you beyond it?

"for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

john 3:16

Savior i come, quiet my soul

remember, redemption's hill

where Your blood was spilled

for my ransom

everything i once held dear

i count it all as loss

lead me to the Cross where Your loved poured out

bring me to my knees, Lord, i lay me down

rid me of myself, i belong to You

oh, lead me, lead me to the Cross

You were as i, tempted and tried

human, the word became flesh

bore my sin and death

now you're risen

everything i once held dear

i count it all as loss

lead me to the Cross where Your loved poured out

bring me to my knees, Lord, i lay me down

rid me of myself, i belong to You

oh, lead me

to your heart

to your heart

lead me to your heart

lead me to your heart

lead me to the Cross where Your loved poured out

bring me to my knees, Lord, i lay me down

rid me of myself, i belong to You

oh, lead me, lead me to the Cross

('lead me to the cross', by hillsong)

ever heard someone say that we need to go beyond the cross? what does that mean, what does that look like? i understand that we may need to go deeper, but i dare to think that going "beyond" the cross is risky. if i go beyond it, i tend to forget about it. i make my own way for salvation. quite the opposite, i need to be reminded of the cross each and every day.

the cross is a popular, if not the most popular, symbol. crosses become tattoos and jewelry. is there anything wrong with that? just like anything else i think the danger comes in when it becomes to familiar and meaning is lost. "we wear silver crosses as jewelry, but we've forgotten about the real blood on the real wood of Jesus' cross." maybe it would help me if i wore a cross every day. if each morning i went through the routine of placing it around my neck. maybe then i would think about the cross outside of the lent season, more than on good friday and easter sunday.

the cross should shape every part of my life - my identity, my motivations, my goals, my desires, my relationships.

Lord, lead me to the cross. bring me to my knees. rid me of myself.