The Unseen Cross on the Heart of God
The nails that pierced Christ revealed the love that always lived in the heart of God.
The Unseen Cross on the Heart of God
📚 Devotional Credit:
Excerpt from In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
📸 Photo Credit:
Image sourced from Unsplash
Today’s devotional from E. Stanley Jones draws us into the very core of redemption—not merely as a plan or a transaction, but as the expression of God’s very heart. Jones reminds us that there is no division between the Father and the Son when it comes to the work of salvation. The popular misconception—that God is angry and Jesus intervenes to change His mind—finds no place in Scripture. Instead, we are shown that “in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19). They are not at odds; they are one in will, one in love, one in sacrifice.
Jones highlights something many believers overlook: the Cross did not begin at Calvary. The “Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). The visible Cross only revealed what had always been in the heart of the Triune God—unfathomable, suffering love. Redemption is not a reaction to sin; it is the outpouring of God’s eternal nature, love that bears pain for the sake of reconciliation.
The Cross wasn’t just where Jesus died—it’s where we saw into the very nature of God. And in that same moment, we saw into the nature of ourselves. The light of the law may expose our sins as mistakes or moral failings, but the light of the Cross shows us that sin is nothing less than a rupture in the intimacy God designed for us—and a wound inflicted on the very heart of God.
But this is not a message of shame. It’s a revelation of just how deep and enduring God's love is. In Christ, God took the nails, bore the wounds, and absorbed our rebellion—not to appease wrath, but to win us back to Himself in love.
📓 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit:
You have wondered whether My heart could truly be for you. You’ve heard whispers that I was distant or reluctant, that the Cross was meant to shield you from My wrath. But I tell you now, child: I was at the Cross. I did not stand apart from Christ; I was in Him, reconciling you to Myself. My love is not divided, and neither am I.
When sin entered, I did not withdraw. I drew near, even if it meant pain. My love does not shrink from wounds—it enters them. I bore your sorrows long before the nails touched wood. The Cross did not make Me loving. It revealed what has always been true: I am love.
Every tear My Son shed was a tear from My heart. Every cry was Our shared cry. And every drop of blood carried My invitation to you: return to Me. Not because I am offended, but because I am longing. You are not merely forgiven—you are welcomed home into union with Me, in Christ.
Do not fear My face. It is the same face you’ve seen in Jesus. Come boldly, beloved. Rest in the heart that has always loved you.
Scripture References:
2 Corinthians 5:18–19; John 10:30; Revelation 13:8; Romans 5:8; Isaiah 53:4–5; John 14:9–10; Ephesians 1:4–5; Hebrews 4:16; Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6–11
🪞 Real-Life Analogy:
Imagine holding a photograph—one of those old, slightly faded prints that doesn’t just capture an image but a moment soaked in emotion. You gaze at it, and something in your chest tightens. You remember the love, the cost, the story behind the frame. That photograph didn’t create the memory—it only revealed what was always there.
The Cross is like that. It is the visible expression of a love that existed long before the moment was captured in time. God’s heart was already broken for us before the hammer ever struck the nail.
So today, as you walk through moments that test your trust—perhaps a misunderstanding, a temptation, or the quiet pain of being unseen—pause. In that moment, yield to the Christ within you. Let His compassion respond through your words, His tenderness through your reactions. Not by trying harder, but by quietly depending: “Lord, I yield this moment to You—live Your love through me here.”
🙏 Prayer of Confidence:
Father, I rest in the truth that You have never stood against me, only for me. In Christ, You showed me Your heart—a heart willing to suffer for the sake of love. I thank You that I am not trying to win Your favor, but walking in the favor already won. You and the Son are not divided, and I am not divided from You. I rejoice that I have been reconciled, embraced, and made whole in Christ. Your love is no longer a mystery—it has been revealed on the Cross and now dwells in me. Today, I live from that union.