Never get very far from the cross. In fact, stay very, very close to the cross. Beyond that, cherish the old rugged cross, and even cling to it as if your life depends on it – because our eternal life does indeed depend on the cross of Christ where His precious blood was shed to pay for our sins.
There is no more important message than the cross of Christ. I recommend the book entitled The Cross of Christ by John R. W. Stott. I more highly recommend reading of the cross of Christ in the gospel accounts. The heart and soul of all that we are should be centered and anchored in the cross.
The apostle Paul addresses and corrects several issues in the Corinthian church. The solution to all of their problems is the cross of Christ. If they focus on the cross they wouldn’t be so impressed with men but would be more attracted to Jesus. If the cross was the core of their convictions, they wouldn’t be fighting with each other. It goes on and on – one issue after another that clinging to the cross would correct. Paul writes, “And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God”. (I Corinthians 2:1-5). In I Corinthians 15:1-4 Paul writes, “Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Read Luke 23:26-49. Then listen to a beautiful A Cappella rendition of The Old Rugged Cross. Then cherish and cling to the cross of Christ as you live through this life by faith in Jesus.
Luke 23:26-49
And when they led Him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and placed on him the cross to carry behind Jesus.
Now following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and grieving for Him. But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are those who cannot bear, and the wombs that have not given birth, and the breasts that have not nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Now two others, who were criminals, were also being led away to be put to death with Him.
And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. [But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”] And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves. And the people stood by, watching. And even the rulers were sneering at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if this is the Christ of God, His Chosen One.” The soldiers also ridiculed Him, coming up to Him, offering Him sour wine, and saying, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself!” Now there was also an inscription above Him, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, “Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!” But the other responded, and rebuking him, said, “Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our crimes; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!” And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the entire land until the ninth hour, because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Your hands I entrust My spirit.” And having said this, He died. Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, “This man was in fact innocent.” And all the crowds who came together for this spectacle, after watching what had happened, began to return home, beating their chests. And all His acquaintances and the women who accompanied Him from Galilee were standing at a distance, seeing these things.