The Strength of the Cross...

April 10, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

“Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Mark 10:27.

Here on Earth, we are always looking for evidence of something. We want everything backed up with facts. Now that we have recognized the obvious, let’s talk about fact versus the truth. This is blunt and painful to read, but reality is often hard to accept.

Having faith requires a commitment from you of a certain state of mind. You are to accept that something is true whether you have facts to back it up or not. For example, and assuming the truth is in line with God’s Will: Fact: you have a broken heart. Truth: God can heal it. Fact: you have a horrible illness. Truth: God can heal it. Fact: you are the person you are and nothing will ever change you, according to you. Truth: God can.

As Jesus told us “with man” things are many times “impossible”, but “all things are possible with God.” For some of us that is so hard to understand. We see the world as it is right now and get so bogged down in the present we do not believe anything will change. How can anything good come out of such a bad situation right?

Wrong. Whenever you think that way I want you to look at the Cross – the Cross in your mind, the Cross in your heart. I want you to ask yourself if anything good came out of a bad situation then? Fact: Jesus was crucified, and murder is horrible and heartbreaking. Truth: That death changed humanity, history, past, present and future from the beginning of time until the end of it. That is the truth.

The Bible is called a “Living Bible”. It is not dead, it is alive. Stories of long, long ago are still living through you and with you at this moment. You take that Cross and you apply it to your problems. Can anything so beautiful come out of your bad situation? You bet it can, or there would never be a Cross to look at. You would not know what it means.

You look at your Savior. Ask yourself if He suffered? Ask yourself if He was tortured to the point where He could no longer take it? He was tortured but He took that torture and turned it into something beautiful, remarkable and beyond our very comprehension. Truth: He NEVER gave up. He was bleeding, suffering, hardly able to walk, and every time He dropped that Cross while carrying it to where He would be killed, He got back up and lifted it. He took the beatings and kept getting back up. Fact: He never gave up through His suffering. Truth: He has never given up on you through yours either.

His victory over death was for you. It doesn’t just start when you die. It starts right now, here, at this moment. “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13-14 . We have seen it, and some of us continue to every day.

Fact: we often give up. Truth: Jesus knew better and left us with reality: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13.

There is so much possibility in you: to overcome your problems, to overcome your adversity, to change the world, to reach every dream, every beautiful thing, and to utilize every gift He has given to you. You put your everything in Him, in that Cross, and you will not fail no matter how bad things seem. “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Believe it – know it – live it. “" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23.

Fact: you may or may not agree. Truth: I am right.