The Shadow of the Cross

Something has been burdening me for a few weeks now and with the Easter season rolling around it is good for us to remember this thing: The Cross. Many times we equate the cross with salvation and we are correct in doing so. If it had not been for what was done on the cross we would have no hope for salvation. But I fear that many of us live our lives as if the cross were merely a means to an end. The cross is not just about our salvation but also about our sanctification. Many of us, I am including myself here, wake up in the morning and go about our day and do our own thing but do not care about what God thinks about our lives. We tell our bad jokes, we think our evil thoughts, we neglect to study God's Word and pray all without realizing that Jesus died for the very sins that we are committing. The cross is not an excuse to sin more since the punishment for sin is taken away, but it is a motivation to sin less. I strongly believe that if we took the time every day to consider the pain and agony that Jesus endured on the cross and that he did it all for your sins and mine we would be a different people. The cross should mean so much to us. The one thought that has been racing through my mind is this: Jesus died for me, the least I could do is live for him. Let's determine today that we will live under the shadow of the cross.