Growing up as an
evangelical Christian, I never understood the Stations of the Cross until I visited
Canaan Land of the Evangelical Sisters of Mary in Australia. As I slowly walked
along the path and stopped at each station, I felt Christ’s pain and agony
through the denial, betrayal, his suffering and his crucifixion. It was then
that I realized why Jesus prayed at Gethsemane, “My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me, yet not as I will, but as You will.”
At that very cross, 2000
years ago, Jesus offered all his strength, his power and might, in all its
intensity as ransom for the penalty of my sins so that I can be restored back
to their fellowship.
How can I respond to such
a great love?
To love God with all my strength!
Everything in me belongs
to the Lord! He created me and bought me back with His precious blood! Every
talent, every skill, every gifting and expertise, I will lay at the feet of His
cross! I will not offer to Him anything that cost me nothing! I will give to
Him the very best of my abilities to be used for His kingdom alone. I will
offer my life to Him for His glory and purpose!
To love myself with all my strength!
I am created in the image
of my God and everything in me is designed by Him. He personally typed my DNA
codes and watched closely as He formed and wove me in my mother’s womb. He
interspersed the skills and the talents as He wrote the days ordained for me in
His book.
As a faithful steward, it
is my responsibility to take good care of the body He has given me. I must
follow His guidelines in living a healthy life and to rest as He purposed it.
It is my task to hone the skills, the gifts and talents He has provided me to
use for His glory. It is my duty to do my very best in whatever I do because He
delights in it. It is my calling to follow Him all the days of my life and to
serve Him until the day I see Him face to face.
To love others with all my strength!
I am not alone in this
world! God has provided me with family, friends and community. Loving others
with all my strength means to love my parents and thank God for them and to be
a good parent to my children. I am God’s partner in fulfilling His ordained
plan for my children and the other children that God brings my way.
It is then my duty to
stand in the gap for those who experience injustice. It is my role to be the
tangible expression of God’s love for the underprivileged or those with disabilities.
It is my responsibility to care for the poor, to feed the hungry, to give water
to the thirsty and to care for the sick. As Jesus said, “I tell you the truth,
when you did it to the one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you were
doing it to me.”
I can never repay what
Christ has done for me at the cross, and even if I try to, it will never even
make a mark. The only thing I can do is to be thankful for what He has done, give
my life to Him and serve Him with all of my strength!
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