Scripture text for Wednesday, April 7th, 2010: John 19:1-19:42
Full Text Online | Listen Online
I couldn’t get the image out of my mind, as it played, played-out and then looped again…over and over! My mind was running continuously like the ticker on Wall Street. It was 3:30 in the morning and I lay awake as I had a minor awakening…a sort of realization, though I was somewhat aware of the importance of it…about a man I was raised to know, but had truly never known until the last few years. Jesus!
In this film I was watching through my minds projector, Jesus Christ was carrying his cross after being humiliated and beaten. He was walking his final steps before his crucifixion, and as he staggered along he fell to the ground. He slowly got up, stood to his feet, staggered a little more, and then fell down again. This continues…the falling, the getting back up and the staggering steps with his cross in hand!
I was deeply feeling the symbolism of Luke 14:27, which states: “And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” The symbolism in that every day when we are to pick up our own crosses and walk in the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that we too stagger in step as we deal with sin in our sinful world, in our environment and our surroundings. We (like Christ), will fall down on the ground as we trip over obstacles of sin, but we must remember to brush ourselves off as we climb back up to our feet and pick our crosses up for we are living in and through Christ, Jesus. And when the load becomes too much, when the sins and temptation become so unbearable that we can no longer pick ourselves up, we must remember through these trying times that our Savior, Jesus Christ, will be there to pick us up from the ground and our pits of despair, and carry us within His arms until we have found our faith in Him renewed and restored! Christ will not let us fail…as long as our unconditional love is poured endlessly and faithfully into Him! “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:15
I finally fell asleep!
Devotion prepared by Ryan Wellner