THE CROSS=ABUNDANT LOVE

THE CROSS=ABUNDANT LOVE How painfully difficult It must have been For our Jesus? To PROCEED with his ministry Knowing how it was all Going to end "So they took Jesus And carrying the cross himself He went out To what is called- The Place of the Skull In Hebrew=Golgotha They crucified him And with him two others One on either side With Jesus In the middle" John 19:16-18 Yet=knowing this Knowing HOW It was going to end He proceeded With his ministry of teaching Working his miracles And his daily work Knowing it would all end With death on the cross But he also KNEW The cross was MORE Than what we perceive: As disgust-disgrace-torture- And death He knew the cross Would bring UNIVERSAL LOVE For us all- For ALL of mankind The sign of rebirth The sign of ABUNDANT LOVE "For if By the trespass Of the one man Death reigned Through that one man How much more Will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace And of the gift of righteousness REIGN in life Through the one man-JESUS CHRIST!" Romans 5:17 "Grace and peace Be yours in abundance Through the knowledge Of God and of Jesus our Lord" 2 Peter 1:2 ALL because Jesus CARRIED the cross of LOVE For each and every one of us The cross of life To death And to a RESURRECTED LIFE Because of this cross- IF we pick up our cross We have the SAME opportunity Of life Through Jesus Christ OUR LORD "Whoever Does not take up their cross And follow me Is not worthy of me Whoever finds their life Will lose it And whoever loses their life For my sake WILL FIND IT" Matthew 10:38-39 We FIND our life- OUR ABUNDANT LIFE=in the crosses Of our own life Just like Jesus The cross is a SACRED SYMBOL That identifies the PRECIOUS CHRISTIAN VALUES For which we are to live LOVE-forgiveness-kindness-generosity and the FRUITS OF the SPIRIT Identified inn Galatians 5:22 As Christians- We are baptized into Christ's life BUT this symbol of death Has been REPLACED By a symbol of ABUNDANT AND UNIVERSAL LIFE FOR US ALL Robert P. Wallman 3-24-16 Ps INSPIRED by an article in LIVING FAITH MAGAZINE by Father James McKarns