Lucado: The Intersection of Love

Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. - 2 Corinthians 13:4 NKJV

This from Max Lucado's Grace for the Moment, Volume 2:

The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don’t you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution?...

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards.

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Reading a Max Lucado book is as comfortable as having coffee and conversation with a close friend. He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart is signature Lucado: warm, conversational storytelling blended with scripture, humor, and vulnerability. Lucado invites us to understand the symbols surrounding Christ's crucifixion and celebrate the significance of the promises they offer. From the sign in different languages tacked to the cross ("I will speak to you in your language") to the burial clothing ("I can turn your tragedy into triumph"), he speaks of each symbol as a "gift of grace" that reveals God's love for mankind... - Amazon

Strength in Weakness?

Since I know it is all for Christ's good, I am quite content with my weaknesses and with insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:10

It's not easy admitting to being weak when we really want to be strong. We live in a performance driven, success orientated world. Who wants to be weak? Yet, when we find ourselves overwhelmed...wanting financial success, better health, a happier relationship, and so on...we can find hope when there seems to be none.

So, why is it a good idea to admit we are weak...make that a great idea? Because in doing so, we aknowledge God, not ourselves as the creator of our life, our destiny, and our purpose.

Like anybody else, I want success in life. But it doesn't always seem to come my way the way I'd like it to. I was bumming out (old school expression) on the fact that my money situation should be better, my weight should be lower, and my work should be more satisfying. Then, I looked up "strength" in the index part of my Bible...I felt I needed some. That's when I found the verse, 2 Corinthians 12:10, and I was no longer "bumming out."

...For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What a wonderful thing to know! Admit to God that you are weak and He is the one you can lean on for strength, not your own. Just the thought alone should give you strength...and something to remember always.

Alexander is a writer in the online spiritual battlefield. You can also find him at The Scrooge Report.