The Road To The Cross

As I was reading the book of Acts last night I began thinking about all that Paul went through to fulfill his calling and remain obedient to God’s will for his life. Paul was beaten, homeless, threatened, cheated, and left stranded many times over. The one thing my mind kept coming back to is the sense of awe I felt in knowing no matter what Paul knew he would glorify God to the maximum by following His will and not his own. When we look at the life of Paul (from his introduction to his house arrest in Rome) we see a story about ups and downs, and how this guy turned his life around and became devoted to following Jesus no matter what the cost. Paul’s companions tried to prevent him from going to Jerusalem at one point because they knew the danger. Even Jesus’ disciples tried to talk him out of going to the cross. We have to remember that even in the hardest of times we can still be used to glorify God.  From there my thought process shifted to something I’ll identify as “our journey to the cross”. What I mean is, we all have a story to tell. We all have our ups and downs, and times when we inexplicably walked away from the will of God to do our own thing. The conclusion that I came to is that the road to the cross if full of potholes. The most important thing to keep in mind is that we must remain on the road, no matter what. Maybe you’re a Christ follower and at this very moment you’re going through a divorce or a job loss. Maybe you’ve got a temper you cannot seem to wrangle in. My friend, STAY ON THE ROAD. I know there are potholes in your life, I’ve hit several myself. You see, God put you where you are for a reason. Maybe he’s refining you at this current moment, allowing things to happen that will form you into the person he wants you to be. The road to the cross is a process of becoming less of who we are and more who He is. We’re being transformed with every mile marker we pass. All I can think about is Jesus walking to his crucifixion. Even when the road did not look pretty for him, remember this: it ended with a resurrection! Don’t be deceived, don’t be fooled – but keep your path straight and the Lord will provide for you.