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Can God Get Glory from My Life?

    by Dominique Henderson

To Accept or Reject the Cross
Date Posted: March 15, 2009

As has been done in the past, I have applied a theme to coincide with certain holidays we celebrate in this American culture. And with Easter approaching, I feel compelled to do the same. Even more so than other times because of the significance to me personally. For weeks now, many preachers I listen to regularly have been discussing the time during Jesus' ministry on earth that led to his betrayal and death. And I see no other single series of events that are more relevant to his followers. Particularly, Easter is a focus on his resurrection but I would like to center this writing on what happened to Jesus hours before his death on the cross.

I often discuss with my wife how pervasive this culture has become. I mean with the amount of commercialization of all types of products you can easily become desensitized to what really matters in life. The sad part about it is that it can almost happen subconsciously. Through several different media you are able to drag in so many worthless ideas and principles into your brain. There is little to no focus on wholesome ideas and values. And before I ramble on and fall off my pedestal let me get to my point. I truly believe that if I spent an equal amount of time focusing on the grimness and cruelty that Christ endured in the last 12 hours before his death, that I would lead a better life. Oddly enough, I would argue that the gruesomeness of this alone is powerful enough to change the non-believer's lifestyle also. Just the other week, I was explaining to some teenagers how I've only been able to sit through The Passion of The Christ in its entirety twice. For those of you that have viewed this film, I am not even referring to the scourging scene. I get nauseous before that just thinking about the pain he suffered for me. And although this is just one man's interpretation of scripture of the account of Jesus' last hours before death, it conveys a powerful message of the pain and suffering Jesus endured to purchase man's right to have fellowship with God once again. Even if you don't accept freely what Jesus had to purchase, you have to appreciate what he went through to get it. Crucifixion remains the cruelest forms of death. Its ability to draw out the death sentence of the victim and impose excruciating pain each moment that it drags on far exceeds any form of death you or I have heard of or will likely experience. And even with Jesus enduring all of that, you and I get to choose whether to accept or reject Him. In my opinion, any decent human being can understand this sacrifice and respect it. And as if the cross wasn't punishment enough, Jesus endured Roman scourging and several beatings that left his visage marred (Isaiah 52:14) so much so that he was unrecognizable to those that knew him. This has to be the most lop-sided trade in the history of man, right? Let me list for you what happened so we can see the unfairness of what He had to endure to give us the freedom to choose. Shall we?

Jesus endured:

1) a night of no sleep because he chose to pray in the garden of Gethsemane for God's will to be done after administering the Last Supper to his disciples (Mattthew 26:17-46) ;

2) a betrayal by one of his own disciples, Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:47);

3) desertion and denial by his own followers (Matthew 26:56; 26:69-75);

4) a series of illegal court proceedings by Jewish leaders aimed at killing him no matter how many laws they broke in the process (Matthew 26:57-68; 27:1-2)

5) a Roman scourging (Mark 15:15; Luke 23:22);

6) several physical beatings (Matthew 26:67; 27:30), (Mark 14:65;15:19), (Luke 22:63-64);

and all this before he carried his own cross up a hill , was nailed to it, and left to die the shameless death of a criminal.

Man! It is hard to imagine that I get to choose whether to accept or reject Him.

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Biography Information:
Dominique Henderson is a believer in the one and only Son of God - Jesus Christ.  After being a believer for many years, he didn't begin to realize the purpose God had for him until the age of 30.  He has a passion for fellow musicians and worship leaders that have allowed Satan to distract them from their God-given gifts.  He now lives day by day following the lead of the Holy Spirit--not perfectly but diligently. He enjoys writing and spending time with his wife, Briana, and their three children.
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