Day 4 - The Power of the Cross

Name:  Bryce Jessup (WJU President Emeritus)

Scripture:

“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 6:14)

Reflections:

As a twenty-year-old student at San Jose Bible College, I heard a sermon in chapel on the cross by professor Rueben Ratzlaff, which I have never forgotten.  He told us that the “x” in our English language was but a tilted “t” from ancient times.  He went on to say that the “t” was one of the early symbols for the cross.

He stated, “Isn’t it interesting that when you make a mistake with a typewriter [this was long before the computer age] that you correct it by typing over it with a line of x’s?” In other words, the “x” or cross is a sign of forgiveness.   We make mistakes and the Lord types over them with the “red ribbon” of forgiveness. 

He continued:  “When a girlfriend or boyfriend write to each other, isn’t it interesting that the P.S. usually has a lot of ‘xxxxxxxx.’”  The cross is a symbol of love, the deepest kind.  It is God’s love being demonstrated in an unmistakable way.

Because of my love for baseball, I especially enjoyed hearing him say, “When a batter is at the plate he frequently takes his bat and draws an ‘x’ in front of the plate.”  The “x” or cross is a sign of hope.  Because Jesus lives, we too shall live, today and eternally.     

 

Man fixes things with WD40 and duct tape, but God fixed things with nails.  Jesus went to the cross, was nailed there for our sins, and paid sin’s penalty so that we could have life today and escape the tragedy of an eternity without God. 

Forgiveness, love, and hope are three magnificent possessions.  We recall them through an ancient language, but they come to us through a living presence, Jesus Christ.

Prayer for the Day:

Father, thank you for giving me what I could never have created on my own: forgiveness, love and hope through Jesus!  Amen