Christians everywhere will focus a lot on the cross this weekennd. Rightly so as the cross and resurrection are the basis of our faith. Without it, we have nothing! Interestingly, Paul warned us, in Phillipians, however, about enemies of the cross. “For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. Phillipians 3:18,19. Paul is referring to the unbelievers in his day, many of whom were persecuting Christians.
It’s tempting for us to want to fight back when we encounter enemies of the cross today. Those who blaspheme us for our Biblical Christian values or who glory in their shame of sexual perversion or who proudly “shout their abortions.”
At times, though, we can all be enemies of the cross, even those of us who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord of our life. For instance, every time I take another bite of food when I’m already full just because it taste good, my God is my belly.
I love the way the scriptures always list what we think are just little sins, like overeating right along with what we believe to be the audacious ones like the murder of another human being. The Bible does this again in Proverbs 6: 16-19.
These six things the Lord hates,
Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
17 A proud look,
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
18 A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
19 A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethren.
A proud look is listed right there along with murder, lies, and wicked schemes! While we are warned of the evils of sin, we cannot for one minute become self-righteous because we all do something every day to break God’s laws.
Admittedly, sometimes my god is my belly, and I even glory in my shame when I don’t want to readily admit that something I have done is against one of God’s laws, and far too often I find myself concerned about earthly things.
Thus the reason for the cross. We all need it and, thankfully, it is available to everyone of us. This Easter my hope is that I will become less of an enemy of the cross and more of a friend of the cross and live my life in such a way that may help turn any unbelieving enemies of the cross that are in my sphere of influence into believers in the cross.
Happy Easter!
Duking Out Life 