Daily Devotional

Word of the Day

Living Under the Shadow

How do you see yourself?

"I'm not all that bad."

You haven't seen yourself yet, and you haven't seen the glory of God.

"I'm a pretty good person actually. I know that the Adamic nature is in us and I know about total depravity, but I do pretty well."

You haven't been to the cross, because the cross reveals to each of us our own ability and our own worth. Jesus knew what it was to humble Himself, even to the death of the cross, the Scripture tells us (Phil. 2:8). "Who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is [now] set down at the right hand...of God" (Heb. 12:2). Jesus' life was a life that lived under the shadow of the cross. We need to live our lives under the shadow of the cross. We need to pray our prayers under the shadow of the cross that they might be effectual.

What is a prayer that is prayed at the foot of the blood-stained cross? How could any of us kneel to pray in that blood-stained dust and demand our will and our way when we are so conscious of the fresh drops of blood of the innocent One who died for our reproach and our sin? Do we live our lives in total gratitude for the price paid? Do we live our lives carelessly, freely and without restraint, thinking that God should have died for my gain, my good, and my ease? Or do we live always as debtors? I wake up every day, understanding very clearly, "I am a debtor. I am a slave. I have no value or no worth; I have nothing to contribute but the privilege of serving."

What does the cross do to us? Jesus' life was a life lived identifying with the cross (not the historical event). The divine, omnipotent, omniscient, infinite, eternal One was made flesh and dwelt among us. He humbled Himself. His enemies laughed and mocked Him and pulled out His beard. He could have called ten thousand angels. Yet they couldn't take His life; He had to lay it down. The King of kings never enjoyed any pomp and circumstance. The Creator of the cattle on a thousand hills said, "I'm hungry. I'm tired." He did it all willfully by choice; that's the cross.

What do I choose? "If any man will, let him..." (Luke 9:23). When we pray, believe and prepare, what are we preparing for? I don't want any confusion by thinking that somehow we mean lives of asceticism. We are talking about lives of self-denial and absolute dependence upon His lordship--the death to self-will, self-agenda and over evaluating our own worth. We could all say the right thing about depravity: "In my flesh, dwells no good thing" (Rom. 7:18). We could all talk about humbling yourself and God will exalt you. But what do you do when it is decision time? What choices do you make pertaining to self? Is self the consideration, or is the glory of God and the purpose of God? Is self the determination, or can you say, "I have meat to eat that you all don't know anything about. It's to do the will of He that sent me and to finish His works. The zeal of Your house has consumed me"? Have you been to the cross? Is it a daily visit?

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