Eunice
is currently reading C.J. Mahaney’s Living
the Cross Centered Life: Keeping the Gospel the Main Thing and this book is
just GREAT. We offered you some missionary tips in the last weeks, but what
would they be without a good and healthy spiritual life? Here are some precious
advice helping each of us to improve the habit of building our daily lives
around the gospel.
Reminding
ourselves of the gospel is the most important daily habit we can establish. If
the gospel is the most vital news in the world, and if salvation by grace is
the defining truth of our existence, we should create ways to immerse ourselves
in these truths every day. No days off allowed. […] But let’s get practical.
How do you maintain your cross centeredness in the midst of a busy schedule
amid the demands of work and family? Let me share five simple ways I’ve found
that help me draw near to the cross each day.
1.
Memorize
the gospel
God
wants us to tuck His promises into our hearts so that, no matter where we are
or what we’re doing, we can pull them out and be strengthened by their truth. You
might not think you’re good at memorizing Scripture. That’s okay. Don’t give
up. Work at it. God isn’t keeping score. ... practice ... “strategic Scripture
memory”. Start with passages that define and describe the gospel.
-
if
you find yourself losing perspective: 2 Corinthians 5:21
-
if
you’re struggling with condemnation over a sin you’ve repented and turned away
from: Romans 8:31-34
-
key
passages over God’s work of salvation through the cross: Isaiah 53:3-6, Romans 3:23-26,
Romans 5:6-11, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, Galatians 2:21
... the
result of this exercise is that your heart will become more sensitized to see
the powerful presence of the gospel throughout the Scripture.
2.
Pray
the gospel
To
pray the gospel, simply begin by thanking God for the forgiveness of sins,
purchased through the death of His Son. Acknowledge that Christ’s work on the
cross is what makes prayer possible. Thank Him that you’ll never be separated
from God’s love because Jesus bore God’s wrath for sin. Thank Him that because
of the cross you’re reconciled to God and have been given the Holy Spirit to
dwell in you, lead you, guide you and empower you to resist sin and serve God.
Then ask God to bless you graciously with everything you need to obey and
glorify Him.
3.
Sing
the gospel
... choose
worship CDs that draw our attention to the amazing truth of what God has done
on our behalf. Not all worship songs are created equal; many today ... focus
more on what we need or what we want God to do than on what Jesus has already
done.... Wherever you find it, make cross centered worship a regular part of
your daily routine. There’s no better way to start each day than to employ
songs and hymns that speak of the cross with clarity and power.
4.
Review
how the gospel has changed you
... we
quoted Paul’s remembrance of being “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent
opponent” of God, and then his grateful words, “But I received mercy…” Though
written some thirty years after he came to faith to Christ, Paul remembered
vividly and specifically his many sins prior to his conversion… You and I as well
must not forget…. Take time to think about all this. Reflect on it daily…. write
out your testimony in a page or two. And don’t just write “I asked Jesus into
my heart”, but really spell out the heart of the gospel and how the blood of
Christ, shed for the sins of the world, came to apply to you personally. Be
specific about the fact that God is holy and you were an object of His wrath. Identify
the sin in which you were lost. Explain how God saved you and changed your life
for His glory. This will edify and encourage you and prepare you to share both
your personal testimony and the truth of the gospel with others.
5.
Study
the gospel
To grow
in your passion for what Jesus has
done, increase your understanding of
what He has done…. some practical recommendations for making the gospel an
ongoing life-study:
-
Camp
out in the books of Romans and Galatians.
-
Don’t
be afraid of technical theological terms. Take the time to learn the meanings
of such words as atonement, substitution,
propitiation, justification, redemption, reconciliation, and salvation.
-
If
you have a daily commute, or another regular time when you can listen to audio
recordings, obtain cross centered sermons that you can hear and benefit from.
-
Read
your whole Bible with your eyes peeled for the gospel. It has been noted that
every passage of Scripture – in both the Old and New testaments – either predicts,
prepares for, reflects, or results from the work of Christ. As you read the
Scripture in your daily devotions, identify how each passage relates to the
cross.
-
Make
it an annual goal to read or reread at least one book on the cross.
Every
time we memorize, pray, sing, review or study the gospel, we must ask the Holy
Spirit to open our eyes and bring the gospel alive to us again. He’s quick to
hear and faithful to answer. But His help must be actively sought.
Just read the entire book. It's worth it!
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