trbccoffeebreak

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”  1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV)

Although millions of people expect that a new year will bring with it a new lease on life, only a small percentage of those who make resolutions for change ever succeed.  Personally, I avoid resolutions because I don’t need another reminder of how easy it is to fail.  But, the thought got me wondering what God might change if He were to make a resolution.  Since He is perfect, there would clearly be no need for Him to change.  But, we on the other hand, are a completely different story – we desperately need it.

As I imagined the many things God might alter, I began to wonder if there was ONE simple change that would transform the Body of Christ.  Then I considered what DA Carson said about the cross.  He lamented that we have managed to dismiss the cross from its central place in our lives.   And although we have made it a decorative reminder of what we believe, the fact is that its message seldom defines and compels us.

Well, it’s obvious that the idea of God making a New Year’s resolution is silly at best.  But, the value of shifting our focus from the trivial, distracting and self-promoting tendencies of our culture to the burning, consuming truth of the cross would definitely change life as we know it.   Is it possible that the Apostle Paul realized this truth when he resolved (as in made a new resolution!) to know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified?

“Lord, there is no way for us to come to the cross on human terms.  So please draw us near and teach us by Your Spirit to better understand the work of our Savior through the instrument of the cross.”

For His Glory

Claudia Dempsey
TRBC Coffee Break