“To be a follower of the Crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss.”- Elisabeth Elliot, These Strange Ashes, 1998
“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place . . . And who know but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”- Esther 4:13-14
In Chapter 15 of The Broken Way, which focuses on Esther 4:13-14, Ann Voskamp explains her topic with a quote from Chuck Colson. Mr. Colson states:
“Christians who understand biblical truth and have the courage to live it out can indeed redeem a culture, or even create one.”
Therefore, Ann believes, if we only understood the specific fire(s) others face, we wouldn’t hesitate to fight that fire with the heat of a greater love. As a result, Ann stresses, when experience a personal encounter with the cross, we need to “defend the image of God in the world’s broken.”
Furthermore, Ann exhorts us to give our gifts, lest they become our idols or identity. Use the life God’s given you to give others life. In other words, desire holiness rather than hollowness. Also, defy cynical indifference as you make a critical difference.
In conclusion, Ms. Voskamp cites Timothy Keller (Generous Justice: How God’s Grace Makes Us Just– 2012). Pastor Keller defines what it means to ‘do justice’:
” . . . to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling though the fabric, and to repair it.”
Today’s question: During your desert, land between time, when have you experienced a personal encounter with the cross? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The thread of your life”
