Wednesday, April 06, 2016

April 6, 2016: At the Cross

Daily Berry Patch Devotions in 2016 - Day 97

Devotional Song:  … GO TO THIS LINK …  Please take the time to take in a video of Chris Tomlin singing his song, At The Cross,… declaring that eternal place where all Christians find the love of God forever.


Highlight Passage:  1st Corinthians 1: 18 [NKJV] …    
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 
… Paul declares the reality of the cross to those who choose to reject Christ’s finished work. 
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Highlight Context – 1st Corinthians 1:18-31 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK 
… Paul expounds on the eternal power of THE CROSS.
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Reference Passage #1 - Galatians 6:11-15 [NKJV] … USE THIS LINK 
… Paul very personally declares what the cross means to him - and to all who surrender to what Christ did there for our eternal glory.

My Journal for Today:  Today’s Our Daily Bread author, Dennis Fisher, presents an interesting comparison to illustrate his teaching about the power of THE CROSS. He wrote: One of the most recognizable images in the US is the “HOLLYWOOD” sign in Southern California. People from all over the globe come to “Tinseltown” to gaze at cement footprints of stars and perhaps catch a glimpse of celebrities who might pass by. It’s hard for these visitors to miss the sign anchored in the foothills nearby. … Less well known in the Hollywood hills is another easily recognized symbol—one with eternal significance. Known as the Hollywood Pilgrimage Memorial Monument, this 32-foot cross looks out over the city. The site served as the venue for The Pilgrimage Play, a drama about Christ. The two icons showcase an interesting contrast. Movies good and bad will come and go. Their entertainment value, artistic contributions, and relevance are temporary at best. The cross, however, reminds us of a drama eternal in scope. 

The Apostle Paul, when writing to a very cosmopolitan and confused Greek culture in Corinth used the symbol of THE CROSS to illustrate how Greeks saw what Christ did on Calvary in a very different light than did those who had come to believe in Christ’s atoning work on the cross [see the highlight passage linked above from 1st Corinthians 1]. And to this day the symbol of THE CROSS causes great controversy - and even consternation - in our world; … some even wanting to have it eliminated from the public arena where it serves as a stark sign they simply don’t want to see.

But all who see it … in Hollywood or hanging around someone’s neck, … are going to have to deal with its reality and either accept it, believing in the One Who finished His atoning work there, or rejecting that truth. But the cross will always stand as the eternal symbol of CHRIST in our world. So today, … and always, … we must go there, as Chris Tomlin, sings; and receive it or reject it. I’m praying all who’re with me here have done the former.

My Prayer Today:  Heavenly Father, … Your finished work on the cross has saved me forever. … HALLELUJAH!!! Amen

Blogger Note:  Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled Our Daily Bread, distributed online via email by RBC Ministries.  If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.

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