Singing Through The Cross
Love accepts the pressure so others find freedom
Devotional Credit: In Christ, E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Paul says he rejoices in sufferings for the sake of Jesus and His body, and even speaks of filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of the Messiah for the church. Jones sits with that hard line and brings it near. He is not saying the once for all sacrifice of Jesus was incomplete. The cross for our salvation is finished. He is saying that Jesus, united to His people, shares our burdens now, and we share His sufferings as His life flows through us for one another.
Jones names something we have all seen. Sometimes the deepest aches in the church come from the church. Arguments over secondary matters. Hard words spoken in the Lord’s name. Courtrooms and committees where love loses its place. Jones says Jesus bleeds there, not because His atonement is short, but because He is joined to His people. Where the body is pressed, the Head is not indifferent. Where one member suffers, all share the load.
Here is the grace in it. Participation in the sufferings of Jesus is not grim resignation. It is a fellowship that sings. Not because pain is pleasant, but because love is present. When the Holy Spirit steadies us to absorb a wrong, to speak truth without spite, to forgive from the heart, the music of God is heard. Jesus carries the cross for all of us. We carry our small crosses for the good of others, and somehow joy rises.
Thank you, E. Stanley Jones, for reminding us that cross shaped love is not a loss but a gift. In the life of abiding in Jesus, we do not seek suffering, but we do not run from love. We stay with Him in the place He assigns, trusting that His life in us will turn the bars of the cross into strings of praise.
Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I joined you to My Son. You are crucified with the Messiah, and you live by His life in you. If you are children, then you are heirs, and as heirs with Him you also share His sufferings so that you may share His glory. It has been granted to you for the sake of the Messiah not only to trust in Him but also to suffer for His sake. Do not be surprised at the fiery trial. Rejoice as you share His sufferings, and My Spirit of glory rests upon you.
You are one body. When one member suffers, all suffer together. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of the Messiah. Present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Always carry in your body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be revealed in you. Do not repay evil for evil. Overcome evil with good. As much as it depends on you, live at peace with all.
Put on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another, and forgive each other, as I in Christ have forgiven you. Above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. Count it all joy when trials come, because steadfastness grows and maturity comes to fullness. Look to Jesus. Consider Him who endured such hostility, so that you do not grow weary or lose heart. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness.
Stand in My armor. Fasten truth. Put on righteousness. Take up the shield of faith. Receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word I have spoken. Pray at all times in the Spirit. I am faithful. I will complete the good work I began in you. I will make you steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Real-Life Analogy
Think of a fine chain that has knotted itself in a jewelry box. You place the tangle on a table and use a small pin to take the pressure so the loops can loosen. The pin accepts the push and pull. The chain gains freedom. The knot gives way, and the necklace can rest again where it belongs.
Life among Jesus’ people can look like that. The Holy Spirit can place you like that small pin in a tense moment, not to strain you in self effort, but to let the life of the Son move through you for the sake of others. When a conversation tightens and words start to snag, you might say, Lord, I yield my reactions to You. Live Your patience and Your truth through me while I listen and speak. Then let Him steady your tone, slow your pace, choose a gentle answer, and watch as knots begin to loosen.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that the cross of Jesus for my salvation is complete, and that His risen life is my life now. Thank You that when I meet pressures in the church or in my home, I am not alone. Your Spirit lives in me. I affirm that participation in the sufferings of the Messiah is fellowship with Him and fruit for others. I receive the patience, forgiveness, and endurance You have already given in Christ. I rejoice that joy is found in loving like Jesus, even when it costs me. Today I stand in the peace of Your Son, and I expect His life to turn burdens into praise. Amen.
Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section
Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27; John 15:18-21; Romans 5:3-5; Romans 8:17-18; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 12:17-21; 1 Corinthians 12:26-27; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 4:7-12; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Galatians 2:20; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:2-3; Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 1:29-30; Philippians 2:1-4; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:24; Colossians 3:12-15; 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15; Hebrews 12:1-3; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 2:20-23; 1 Peter 4:12-16; 1 Peter 5:10