Being led to the cross...

3.03.11

Sometimes I can really connect with a song and it can become almost an anthem for my life. I can remember back to high school when the song "Santa Monica" by Everclear came out. I listened to that song like there was no other song on the face of the planet. When I had the CD playing in my car I would instantly rewind it to the beginning of that song every time it ended. I bought the sunglasses that the lead singer wore in the video just to show how much I loved the song. I would open my car windows and blast that song, because I wanted everyone to know how much I loved the song. We can all look back to high school and think of that one song that was our "anthem". The song that defined where we were at in our lives at that moment.

To this day it amazes how much a song, a story or a some sort of art form can really have such an effect on our hearts and our lives. God truly brings awe to my heart and mind with the way He speaks to me through the words of a song even today. This past weekend I was on a retreat with nearly 200 high school students and the band played a song called "Lead Me to the Cross" by Hillsong and for some reason I got lost in the words of the song. Since I got back I have been glued to that song. I have not been able to take my mind off it. I was wondering why God has been putting that song on my heart so much, so I looked up the lyrics again and there is one part where they simply sing "Lead me to your heart..." over and over and than the singer goes back into singing "LEAD ME TO THE CROSS".

This song has been such a good reminder this week to the sacrifice and love that Jesus displayed on the cross. It is such a reminder of a selfless servant. Even as I write this my heart is consumed by how powerful Christ's sacrifice and love are. As I think about the words of the song that God has been laying on my heart I am overtaken with appreciation and awe for what an amazing sacrifice the cross is. The final words again of this song are "Lead me to your heart...". The reality is that YOU are Jesus' heart. He chose to be tried and tempted, beaten and shamed and hung on a cross because YOU are his heart. When we pray to be led to Christ's heart we are being led to the cross because He loves us so much that His sacrifice on the cross was His way of showing His love for us. He knew bearing our sin on the cross was His way of showing that He loved us so much.

God's heart is for his creation....human beings. Jesus wants us to love others and be the aroma of Christ because he wants everyone to know how much HE loves them. He wants everyone to be led to the cross because that is "where His love poured out" as the song says.

This post is merely an encouragement. As the Easter season quickly approaches I hope that what you take from it is how much the God of the universe loves every single one of us. My prayer is that this Easter season you are led to the cross of love, mercy and grace and that you realize that Jesus' heart is for you. That two thousand years ago He hung on the cross with you in his thoughts.


Thought question:
How often do you think about the idea that you are Jesus' heart? How much power is there in the idea that you were the one in his mind when He choose the nails of the cross?