I once was told that when you go on an extended vacation, you will work twice as hard when you get back than you did before you left. When we went on vacation for a couple of weeks in June, I discovered that to be true. It may even be a direct quote from the second book of Hezekiah or something (just kidding).
I thought that I would post one of my favorite pictures from our trip out West. This picture is obviously from the Grand Canyon. It was one of those pictures that I took on a whim as we passed by, because it was simply a breath-taking scene. I like to call it the Cross Tree.
To me the beauty of this tree is obvious. Its cross-like shape stands out in my mind, firing my imagination with thoughts of what Jesus Christ did for me and every human being on Earth. Just beyond this tree is a sheer drop of hundreds of feet into the canyon below. To go beyond this tree would mean certain death for anyone foolish enough to try it. In a way this tree is standing like a sentry, guarding those that pass that way from an ugly end. It is in this that the tree not only resembles the cross, it also illustrates what Jesus did on the cross.
Like those born blind, all humanity was wondering at the edge of a precipice, facing a fall and a death that none of us could avoid on our own, until Jesus came to open our eyes to the danger. Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12, NKJV).
But Jesus did even more than that for us. You see, we deserved to wander off that precipice and die, because we have sinned against God. God does not have more than one punishment for sin, depending on the variety. God has one punishment for sin and that is death, as the Bible explains saying, "...the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23a, NKJV). This is not simply physical death, but the personal separation that sin causes between God and humanity. If this separation does not end in life, it will become permanent in death, resulting in a person spending the rest of eternity separated from God in Hell. This is where the cross comes in. Though the Bible did say that "...the wages of sin is death," it goes on to say, "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23, NKJV). That gift of never-ending life was provided through what Jesus did on the cross. The Bible says that "...Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8b, NKJV), which can be literally translated as "...Christ died in our place!" God made a statement with that cross, saying that because Jesus took your place, the punishment has been carried out and so you don't have to die!
Like the tree that stands guard at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the cross of Jesus Christ is standing there to say, "Stop here and live!" The Bible says that "...the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18, NKJV). Like those who foolishly pass the cross tree and fall to their death in the canyon, much of humanity foolishly ignores the cross of Jesus Christ and its message. But for those of us who have chosen to see the truth, the cross has become a beautiful symbol of never-ending life and salvation from death. That is why the cross tree is so beautiful to me, though some may never see it.
"LORD God, thank-you for the cross. Thank-you for the price that You paid for me, Lord Jesus. Your sacrifice on Calvary, has truly made the mighty cross a tree of life to me. Amen!!"
