THE CROSS BEFORE US

"The world behind me...the cross before me,

The world behind me...the cross before me,

The world behind me...the cross before me,

No turning back. No turning back"

The words to this chorus, learned as a child, should be the motto of every believer in the world today.

Jesus set forth on His journey to the Cross from the moment He was born in that stable in Bethlehem. It was a journey that took Him roughly 33 years and not once did he shrink from the job nor think about turning back. It was all part of the Father's plan and Jesus was always about His Father's business. "I can of mine orwn self do nothing....I seek not mine own will but the will of my Father which has sent me," Jesus said in John 5: 30 and in John 4: 34 He said, " My [desire] is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work" and finally in John 8: 29 He said "I do always those things that please Him [the Father]".

Knowing His Father's will was for Him to go to the Cross, He set His face like flint and did not turn back. He was in the world, preaching, teaching, loving, ministering, but He was also about daily tasks such as attending a wedding, spending time with His disciples, taking a nap, and having dinner with friends.

He was not a hermit nor a recluse. He did not avoid sinners, rather He dined with them. He was not distant nor aloof from those with needs, He was drawn to them. He was not impressed with those who had position and prestige, but was moved by those such as the widow who gave her last mite and Zaccheus who hid himself in a tree just to catch a glimpse of Jesus.

But no matter where He went or what He was doing, the Cross was ever before Him. He was never in a hurry and He was never late. He had the same 24 hours a day that we do. He did not succomb to the demands of the people though many followed Him and many made demands upon Him. He went as directed by His Father. He was in human form, His divinity clothed in humanity and could not be everywhere at one time. Therefore He had to rely on the Father's direction to know where He was to go, who He was to speak to, and when He was to move on. But always with the knowledge that the Cross was before Him and that His time on this earth was drawing to a close.

We, too, have a limited time on this earth. We cannot be everywhere at once nor possibly meet all the demands that are placed upon our time....though oftentimes we try. We are human and we can only do so much. Most of us wear ourselves out trying to do everything there is to do, burning the candle at both ends. We get so caught up in all of our TO DO lists that often the very things that are most important get pushed to the bottom of the list. All the while the clock is ticking, our time is drawing near.

Maybe it's time as we move toward this Easter Sunday to take stock and see what is really important in our lives. Maybe we need to do a little spring cleaning and weed out those things that are hindering us from being about the Father's business. Maybe we need to place the Cross before us and the world behind us and let nothing cause us to turn back from following Him with our whole hearts.

The main part of that song I shared at the beginning goes like this:

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, No turning back.

Are you following Him today or have you struck out on a detour the world has put before you?