When I think of the Cross, I see a + sign. A sign of positivity; a sign of hope; which should cause inward signs of faith. Why you may ask. Because Jesus was on that Cross, and He wants us to think good thoughts, to never give up, and to believe; in Him!
So why do we get down on ourselves? Why do we sometimes want to quit? Why do we not believe in the One who gave it all on that Cross? I’ll tell you why. A lot of us haven’t established a personal relationship with Him yet. And I say yet because there is still time; and there is still hope.
I hope and pray that we will stop depending on someone else to tell us about Jesus. We listen to the preachers. We listen to the teachers. Some even listen to just about anyone. You know; the ones who probably know less than we do. The Word of God tells us to “not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil” (1Thessalonians 5:20-22). And 1 John 4:1 reads, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
So don’t believe every man or every preacher you hear without testing carefully what they say. But this must be done in the spirit of Christ–the spirit of meekness and humility. Spirits don’t go around talking by themselves. Spirits can only talk through people. Scriptures are referring to people and what they say, but they focus on the spirits from which they speak. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of meekness and humility and only things done in the Spirit of Christ glorify God. The spirit of anger and rebellion are the spirits of Satan, even when it seems things were done for good.
The personal relationship we develop with God will help us grow. As we grow and through His Word, He will reveal more and more to us. We will be able to see many of these spirits and false prophets. We will be able to test what the preacher says according to the Word of the Lord. God’s Word is truth; and anything that doesn’t pass the test, is a lie.
I don’t know about you, but I fall short every day. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 19-23, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. … it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me.” But through his relationship with God and the Word, Paul learned, and so must we, that Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross frees us from the slavery of sin.
People we need to get busy. We need Jesus, and we need Him now. With Him, the Holy Spirit, and His Word, we live, we grow, we think and do good things, we cling to hope, and we believe and trust in our Mighty God. It makes us want more of Him, and less of ourselves. Our relationship with Christ is the very best thing any of us can do in our lifetime. Love the Lord; grow in His Word and love for each other. That’s what the plus sign is all about. You or me + Christ = > than anyTHING. Choose Christ and choose life; no subtractions.
Let's Change the World Together 