“The Confrontation We All Must Face”

I've been contemplating this a lot for the past 2 weeks. The title of this blog was taken from a message I recently heard by Billy Graham. He said, “The cross is the confrontation all of us must face…”  That phrase stayed with me and I've pondered it over and over.

The. Cross.

 

 

Even the shape suggests a confrontation where the two lines meet.  What exactly is the confrontation?

It’s looking full in the face of Jesus and understanding exactly what the cross is all about. And to do that, we also have to face ourselves in the light of Jesus' sacrifice. What was/is so wrong with me that I need the cross? Need a savior? Can I not save myself? This is where it all clashes! I must face the fact that I can’t save myself. I need someone else to do that because I am a sinner. And the only one who could do that is someone who is without sin himself.

The. Cross.

 

 

It’s the offense of the Christian faith – “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness; but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

 

The confrontation of the cross is that we must die to ourselves to be able to come alive in Christ.  I must recognize that I am a sinner in need of a savior.

 

A personal confrontation with the cross is exactly what each and everyone of us need right now in our nation.

 

I don’t believe we have a gun problem; I don’t believe we have a mental health problem; I don’t believe we have a political problem. Everyone wants to point fingers and blame this, that and the other thing in light of current events.

 

But simply, what we have is: A HEART PROBLEM! I know that sounds very simplistic, but it’s truth. Scripture tells us God is love and that He loves us. This is the only message Billy Graham preached in all his years of ministry – God’s love and the cross!

Scripture tells us that “..God so loved the world that He sent His only Son” to die for our sins. Scripture also tells us “He that loves not knows not God; for God is love” and in that same chapter of I John, he goes on to say, “If a man say, I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he can see, how can he love God whom he cannot see? And this commandment we have from him, That he who loves God love his brother also.”

It all starts at the cross. When we are able to accept the sacrifice of Jesus and the love of God represented by that, then love is born in our hearts and we begin the journey of loving God (“We love him, because he first loved us.”) And as we continue on in our journey with the Lord, we grow in love for Him and for others. He who has the love of God within cannot and will not willingly harm himself or others. It is that simple! Left to ourselves, we are not capable of loving like that.

 

Almost a year ago, I got a tattoo. There was a struggle behind this decision for me, because I have always been opposed to tattoos. It was a decision I did not make lightly, but I truly felt the Lord leading me do this. My tattoo is a very small cross on the inside of my left wrist.

 

 

That little cross represents so much to me, but mostly, whenever I see it there on my wrist, it reminds me to love and not judge.

You see, I struggle with loving the unlovable. I struggle with loving someone I disagree with. I struggle with loving someone who doesn’t like me. I struggle with loving someone I see as a threat. Simply put, I struggle to love; to always do the loving thing. I struggle to not judge someone who is different from me. But I am determined in my desire to learn to love as Jesus does. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn [judge] the world; but that the world through him might be saved." The cross (the one on my wrist as well as the one representative of Jesus’ sacrifice) helps me to remember that. The cross reveals the love of God for me and it enables me to see my unloving heart, but it also helps me see that I have One who can change my heart. As I go to Him and expose my unloving heart, He pours out His love to me. And as I continue to receive that love, I am able to do the loving thing where others are concerned.

 

Love is NOT a feeling. Oh, sure, sometimes the feelings are there and when they are, it is wonderful. But love, first and foremost, is a decision and when I decide to do the loving thing because Jesus did the loving thing, then God’s blessing is there and feelings follow. But none of that takes place without the cross!

 

It’s the cross that enables me to love, to put others’ needs before my own, to reach out beyond my feelings and do the loving thing, even when I don’t want to.  It’s the cross that enables me to see the worth in every human life, because Jesus died for every human life. And if Jesus values that life, how could I not?

 

So, the confrontation we all must face is the confrontation of the cross. When we are confronted with the cross, there is a decision to be made. Will I choose the way of the cross or will I choose my own way? Will I lay down my rights, my desires, my will, my sins, my feelings and choose the love of God, forgiveness of sins, cleansing by His blood, His desires for me and His way?

I believe everyone will be faced with that confrontation at some point in their life because Jesus chooses to reveal Himself to all, but the choice is ours.

 

Jesus very clearly said, “If you are not for me, you are against me” so choose wisely, dear one!