Billy shares his thought for the week; the power of the cross.

Over the weekend we’ve been celebrating Easter. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time, not eating too many eggs!

But what is Easter all about? It’s quite amazing that in our society today and culture, they do not want to recognise the cross. I recently heard of a supermarket that changed the hot cross bun, no longer having a cross, but having a tick. I ask you, what does a tick have to do with Easter? Absolutely nothing!

And yet, we need to acknowledge and see the power of the cross because we find the virtue of forgiveness, we find the virtue of life only in the cross of Jesus Christ. And so, I want us to focus on that, this Easter period.

I love that hymn that we sing at church “In Christ Alone”. The chorus reminds us, “In Christ alone, I place my trust, I find my glory in the power of the cross.”

Over the past months, I have been to a number of funerals, of friends and family. And at each one, I am reminded of the strength of death in terms of grieving and separation. And I ask myself, Lord, what is life? What is my purpose?

At Easter time, we find an answer to that because we have a living hope in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There is power in the cross, not a tick, but in the cross, because Jesus has conquered a death and we are reminded of what he has done. And because of the cross, we have the virtue of power. Because the power that raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in you and I.

We find the virtue of righteousness because we are lost, we are broken, all of us. The Bible says,

All have sinned and come short of God’s glory.

Romans 3:23

But we find in the cross a way of reconciliation. We find that we can have a good standing, a right standing with God, not by religious activities or works, but by acknowledging what he has achieved on the cross. On the cross, we find and discover the virtue of life because he conquered death. He holds the keys to hell and death. He has the authority.

And so at those funerals, I thank God every time for the hope that we have in Christ. And I pray that you too, at this Easter period, would come and discover the virtue of power, the virtue of righteousness and forgiveness only through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Maybe you say, “Well, I don’t believe in all this. It’s all a myth.” I challenge you to look at the historical evidence we have of the death and resurrection of Christ. Because my faith in Christ is not blind. My faith is based on historical evidence. And when I come to believe in God, I experience something of his grace and power.

God bless you.

Every week one of our members shares a short thought aiming to inspire you for the week. You can watch previous Thought For The Week videos by clicking here.