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I am reminded of the old musical “The Sound of Music.” Whenever I think of this movie, I can’t help but hear the voice of Julie Andrews belting out “My Favorite Things.” As I listen to this song, I can’t help but make my own list of Favorites, and would like to share with you one of them. The Cross of Calvary.
No, it’s not as pretty as raindrops on roses, or cuddly as whiskers on kittens. Not as exciting as brown paper packages tied up with strings - but it is truly one of my favorite things! Why, you may ask? Because it reminds of some very important truths and characteristics about God.
One cannot help but look at the cross and think of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross; and how He bore my sin, paid my debt of sin, and offers forgiveness and everlasting life. This alone causes the cross to be cherished by many.
Yet, there’s more. The cross reminds me of God’s Love. In fact, the Cross is a symbol of love. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
The cross reminds me that God loved me so much, He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, so my sins could be forgiven! Moreover, the cross reminds be of another truth about God’s Love.
Consider for a moment how you draw a cross. What do you draw first? Most people begin by drawing with a vertical line down, from top to bottom. This line, or beam, reminds me that God loved me first before I ever loved Him. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”
God loved us first. Before we were even born, He loved us. He loved us even while we didn’t deserve to be loved, while we were sinners; His enemy. He loved us and sent Jesus for us, to pay for our sins and offer us eternal life! It is because of His love that we are able to love.
The vertical beam also reminds me that it is because of God’s love for me that I am able to and should respond in love back to God. Jesus said Luke 10:27 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” this is possible because God first loved me.
But there one more line we need to draw to complete the cross; a horizontal line. This beam reminds me that because God loves me and fills me with His love, I too am able and should show that same kind of love to others. In John 13:34 Jesus says, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Since Jesus loved us, and fills us with His love we are to love others; everybody, no matter who they are what they do, or have done. We are to love others like Christ.
That is why the Cross is one of my favorite things. It helps me to remember that God first loved me by sending Jesus, that He fills me with His redeeming Love, and as a result I am able to love Him and others. I hope each time you see a cross, you to will be reminded of God’s Love for you and how He extends His love through you.
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