Exhausting Ourselves – Friday, April 26th, 2019

During practice today one of my gymnasts needed to make one correction that would help her complete a layout vault. I asked her to focus on that one correction. She chose to think about everything but that correction. After exhausting herself, she disciplined her mind to focus on that one particular correction and her vault was finally successful.

I thought about how many times as Christians we exhaust ourselves by failing to focus on Christ’s cross. We exhaust our- selves following current events, questioning the brokenness in the world and, perhaps, in moments of real doubt, wondering whether Jesus accomplished anything while He walked on earth.

Here’s the particular correction on which to focus: Christ’s accomplishment was the cross.

When we focus on the cross the Holy Spirit shows us the Man-God dying for our sins. When we focus on the cross the Spirit shows us that our sinful hands jammed that crown of thorns onto the Innocent Victim’s head. We know our sin caused His scourging. Our sinfulness hammered those nails into His holy hands. We know He was punished for our guilt.

When we focus on the cross the Holy Spirit shows us the God-Man dying for our salvation. On the cross the Spirit shows us Jesus, the willing, perfect sacrifice, offered to God for our redemption. The Spirit lets the holy words of Christ, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34) pierce our hearts and heal our souls. And the Spirit makes us look at the Savior’s blood shed for us so we can have peace with God.

Photo by Christian Erfurt


Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.

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