I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
As presented on *The Lutheran Hour® by Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, March 27, 1977.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” That’s the talk of a man who once had been turned off by the cross of Christ, and then was turned on by that same cross. Jesus Christ died for sin—not His but ours. That’s the glory of the cross of Jesus Christ, but it is also the reason some are turned off by His cross. They turn away from it for they cannot and will not see themselves on that cross.
Faith means going Christ’s way, which is the way of the cross. Some people think life is supposed to be one glorious picnic and that anything else is not really life. I have even heard religious people giving themselves credit for being prosperous because they followed God. The secret of the cross of Jesus Christ is that life is not a matter of things. Things you can take or leave.
It isn’t enough that you have to see God in the cross of Jesus Christ—you have to see God in your own crosses. That turns people off. They are perfectly content to see God in their prosperity, but they don’t want to see God in their adversity. They don’t want to see adversity at all. Life is a thing of the Spirit, with joy running over in both good times and bad. It is knowing God, trusting God, following God, and hoping in God, just letting God lead and following His leading. That’s the secret of real life.
Lord God, help us to see You in the good and bad parts of our lives. Reveal Yourself to us in our suffering for the sake of Jesus. Amen.
Taken from A Message of Hope: Proclaiming the Cross (selections from messages broadcast on *The Lutheran Hour, celebrating 75 years of proclaiming the promise).
Copyright © 2006 by Lutheran Hour Ministries
*The Lutheran Hour is the longest-running Christian radio broadcast in the world. It is a production of Lutheran Hour Ministries. For more information, visit www.lutheranhour.org.
Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 14-16 Luke 5:1-16
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