Beneath THE CROSS of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty Rock, within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat and the burden of the day.

What does THE CROSS OF CHRIST mean to you?

As we approach and enter the period of Easter, we soon become aware that, for most people, its true significance has become lost as a result of the commercialism and traditions that have been built around it. I invite you to pause for a while and take your stand with the hymn writer BENEATH THE CROSS OF JESUS, because it is there that you will discover a life-changing event took place.

There are those who will tell us that it was not God’s intention at the beginning that His Son, Jesus, should die on a Roman cross. They say that Jesus came with the intention that men and women should follow Him, not kill Him. However, as we read the Bible, we learn that the CROSS was not an accident or afterthought, but integral to God’s plan of salvation and Christ’s mission. One author has written, ‘There was a cross in the heart of God, long before one stood on Calvary’s hill!’

Peter underlined this truth in his preaching and writings:

he declared that Jesus was ‘delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God’, Acts chapter 2 verse 23.

he also referred to Him as a lamb, ‘who verily was foreordained BEFORE the foundation of the world’, 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 20.

Thus, before ever God created the earth and set the stars in space, THE CROSS, was central to His heart and plans – and it will be so for eternity!

To be continued