37. Light beyond the Present

Light beyond the Present The seventh point is, the cross gives us light beyond the present: “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings: that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13), light beyond the present. And so you see how the cross on the green hill links the today of time with the tomorrow of eternity. The cross proves that to be partaker of the sufferings of Christ insures partnership with Him in the glory. The cross tells us that the present is not all, that it is not the greatest. It lifts our eyes to the horizons of time and shows us that they are beginning to glow with a glory that will never wane, and as it lifts our eyes it tells us that the best is yet to be. No life can ever lose that links itself with Christ through the cross; and therefore the call of the cross as it is illustrated in the epistles by Peter is essentially practical. It is to make Christ pre-eminent in us, and a pre-eminent Christ makes pre-eminent Christians. My life, my love, I give to Thee, Thou Lamb of God, who died for me O may I ever faithful be, My Savior and my God!

O Thou, who died on Calvary, To save my soul and make me free, I consecrate my life to Thee, My Savior and my God!