Listen:
Consider:
I don’t know who originally said, “The ground is level at the foot of the cross” – maybe it was Billy Graham, or someone. But I’ve found this to be true.
In 1 John 1:5-10 it says:
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
We all have sinned, we’re all weak, we all need a Savior – it seems like the Apostle John is saying, “If you say otherwise, you’re just kidding yourself.” The chorus of this song is a declaration of that in my life. It’s a holy ‘giving up,’ recognizing my condition. It goes:
At the foot of the cross
I’m broken and I’m weak
At the foot of the cross
I lay everything
I think it’s possible to agree with this intellectually, but until our heart, mind, and soul becomes undone, we won’t experience the full reality. It’s not reliant on emotion, but it will affect us emotionally. The cross is not just about spiritual transformation, but also spiritual formation. It’s an invitation to the way of Christ. Not only are we forgiven, but we are also called to forgive. Not only are we set free, but we also are called to co-labor with Christ in bringing His kingdom (Matt. 6:10). But until we come to the place of being broken and weak, we only get half of the reality. Jesus wants life abundantly for us (John 10:10), not just ‘going to Heaven after we die.’
So, the invitation is to bring everything we are to the Lord at the cross. Not just our virtues, but also our vices, our weakness, and all those things that we think separate us from the Lord. The invitation is to lay them all down there. Surrender.
Reflect:
In what ways have you experienced the reality of your brokenness and weakness? Have you experienced healing at the foot of the cross? If yes, what has that looked like?