I love the cross. I have one on the outside of our house; we have many on the walls inside of our house. I have an olive-wood cross necklace that I often wear during the seasons of Christmas and Easter. Many wear them as jewelry. But all of us must be careful that the ornamental does not eclipse the real meaning of this instrument of death and torture. The cross was the way Romans executed the enemies of the empire; it was intended to invoke terror on all who saw crucified bodies. Jesus knew that He had a cross in His future; His prophetic mission of truth telling would end Him there. Let the ornamental cross remind you of the real cross, your dying will lead to living the resurrected life even now.
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God…. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” Galatians 5:19-21, 24 (NASB)
