It’s interesting to read through your comments. There seems to be so much pressure.
Can we take the pressure off?
Today I want you to concentrate on one thought in your quiet time.
The power of the cross is not in what you do, but in what has already been done for you.
This is not a competition. It’s not a pass/fail. All this week we’ll unpack what it means to rest in what was done on the cross for you. Steven James, in Story, says:
The gifts of the Master are these: freedom, life, hope, new direction, transformation, and intimacy with God. If the cross was the end of the story, we would have no hope. But the cross isn’t the end. Jesus didn’t escape from death; he conquered it and opened the way to heaven for all who will dare to believe. The truth of this moment, if we let it sweep over us, is stunning. It means Jesus really is who he claimed to be, we are really as lost as he said we are, and he really is the only way for us to intimately and spiritually connect with God again.
As you begin this week, I want you to spiritually rest in what Jesus has already done for you. Consider it less a task, and more that you are opening gifts that have long awaited you.
Resist those thoughts that try to delay the opening of those gifts, like:
- Why am I even doing this?
- Jesus doesn’t want to spend time with me
- Is this doing any good?
Do so by simply writing this down in your journal. Speak it out loud. Thank Jesus for what He has already done, for the gifts that await you over the next month, and for a lifetime. When you tap into the power of this simple thought of the week, it means you are free to discover and explore what it means to:
- live in relationship rather than condemnation (Romans 8:1-3)
- rest in His love (Romans 8:38-39)
- trust that He knows what you want to say when there seems to be no words (Romans 8:26-27)
How is your time with Jesus unfolding?
What does today’s verses speak to you?
What might it mean if you started to believe that the power of the cross was less about what you did, or didn’t do, or what you were supposed to be doing, or what someone else was doing, and simply became about what He has already done for you?
Thank you for this. I get caught in this trap everyday and feel as though I must compensate somehow. Yet I pray God will help me.
Start to replace the act of striving with the simple act of seeking. Two very different things. Two very different places in the heart of your relationship with your Heavenly Father. I hear what you are saying, and it’s a beautiful statement of faith to say, I want so much more of my precious Savior!
Beautiful thoughts. I love the idea of opening gifts from the One who loves us so. As another writer has said it’s not what He wants from us but what He wants for us.
Thank you.
This post really helped bring me back to our purpose. By the end of the week, I had indeed placed a lot of pressure on myself once again. I was stuck in condemnation, so reading Romans 8:1 this morning in my quiet time was good medicine. I will drink deeply of the truth of our verses today throughout this week because I am in desperate need of more of Jesus. Lord Jesus, teach me to rest and abide… I want to throw off the heavy weight of “doing” and rest in Him. Oh, to embrace the truth and live in the power of what He has already done! The word that comes to mind is freedom, freedom to abide in Him, His love for me, His power to transform me, His power to equip me to love others the way He calls me to. I really love the picture of the gifts our Master gives us to open- I am a visual kind of learner, so I think I may make up some tiny gift boxes and label them with these gifts and set them out in my quiet time space. I think it could be a healing exercise.
As I was having my quiet time, I thought about this song- thought I would share…
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mQru8LBQaKY
Elizabeth, I think the gift box idea is fantastic. I too like visual reminders. I have verses or lessons taped all over my kitchen cabinets-it truly helps me in times where I need the words or encouragement to handle things in a Godly way.
I hope your gift boxes in our quiet space really help in your relationship with God. Peace be with you
Oh my goodness, I LOVE the idea of visually opening gifts!
so much truth in what you said today. Funny that we heard something similar in service this weekend as well. It is obvious that many of us need to refocus ourselves and remember what the cross is and is not!
Wise, quieting words.
And you’re right. Truth takes the pressure off. So we can be like Him. His yoke is easy. His burden is light.
Bless you! Hope you paths cross again soon. : )
Thankyou, I so just want to let Jesus love me . Thankyou for the verses. I just want to feel His presence. No striving.
Hey Annie, Open those hands. Hold them up. Let His love wash over you. “If you are thirsty, I will fill you.” It’s His promise.
Relationship. It is all about being. I have been challegned before to have the relationship. So many times I approach my quiet time as something to check off as done instead of being an appointment with the King of Kings. THE POWER OF THE CROSS is what was done on the cross, all my sins were forgiven. Thanks for the reminder. Blessings..diana
You are welcome, Diana. Sometimes it’s helpful to just be reminded of what is true. It puts everything in a different light, right?
Thank you. The gifts are exactly what God gave me. Why do I usually remember satan’s lies and forget Jesus’ love for me?
Such a great question. We could spend hours analyzing that or rest in His love. We know that satan is labeled as an accuser. Let’s just assume that scripture is true : ) and counter those accusations with truth.