The Meaning of the Cross, Day 7

Welcome to our seventh day of our “40 Days of the Cross” series. Each day we are taking just a few minutes to look at a word which will help us better understand the meaning of the cross.
 

Today’s word is example. The cross stands for us as an example to us. Think of what the cross represents. It represents love, sacrifice, humility, obedience, and other character traits that stand as an example for us to follow. Jesus is the Son of God, and He was sent to show us who God is and what His Kingdom is like. His sacrifice on the cross didn’t just free us from our sins. It set for us an example to follow in our own lives.
 

The apostle Peter taught about submitting to those in authority over us, pointing to the cross as an example for submission. He wrote the following in 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 21, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” Peter is telling us that the suffering of Jesus is also an example for us to follow, and the perfect picture of the suffering of Christ is His suspended form dying on the cross in agony.
 

Stephen, one of the first deacons in the Christian Church, certainly followed the example of the cross. Stephen was proclaiming the truth of the good news of Jesus when he found himself in a situation very similar to the cross. Stephen angered the religious officials and they brought him before them in a mockery of a trial, much like what Jesus faced in Jerusalem. And, like Jesus, Stephen was sentenced to death and brought outside the city to be killed.
 

In this case, Stephen was surrounded by religious officials who threw large stones at him until he was dead. But Stephen looked at the cross as his example, and with his dying breath, Stephen called out to God to forgive the men who were killing him. Jesus had done the same thing on the cross and Stephen followed His example.
 

The cross continues to be an example for us. It shows us the nature of Jesus, and as followers of Jesus, we should seek to copy that example. Even in the agony of the cross, Jesus showed Himself as an example for us. We’ll talk more about agony tomorrow.
 

We’re going to close in prayer now. After we’ve prayed, would you spend a little time in meditation and prayer thinking about how you can follow Jesus in the example He set on the cross?
 

Heavenly Father, You have left us a hard example to follow for Jesus faced the curse of the cross while still maintaining His holiness. Please help us remember that through the aid of the Holy Spirit, we are able to follow the example of the cross in our lives. Thank you for the cross. In the name of Jesus, amen.
 

Continued tomorrow