Sitting at the foot of the Cross

In his book Marks of the Messenger, J. Mack Stiles lays out four great examples of how we can "link our lives with the message of the cross":

1. Seeing the depth of our forgiveness by God at the foot of the cross allows us to forgive others and guards us from self-condemnation too.

2. Knowing that we have been reconciled to God by the cross calls us to be people of reconciliation.

3. Knowing that God did not spare even His own Son on the cross tells us we are deeply loved and that we can rely on God's will for our lives without fear.

4. Being accepted by God through the cross allows us to be obedient out of joyful gratitude, not out of duty.

5. Knowing that we have been adopted as sons and daughters as a result of the work on the cross guards us from living as independent orphans alone in the world.

Marks of the Messenger
J. Mack Stiles
p. 55