Haven’t we all looked at our lives at times and thought, “Can anything be made of this mess?” On the outside, at least, life at times looks bleak and chaotic. But Scripture assures us that God our Father does indeed have everything under control in our lives. Paul wrote that believers in Christ have been “predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11). In other words, God has a plan, and nothing is going to derail His plan as a whole and for us individually. When Jesus is our storyteller, He retells every story in a way that brings life from death and hope from hopelessness.

There aren’t many societies that praise weakness. And ours is no different. Whether you’re a pastor or a police officer, or a teacher or work in an office or are a social worker or are a stay-at-home parent, weakness is seen as a liability, a tangible reminder that we don’t have the resources to do what we’re supposed to do or be who we’re supposed to be. Nobody wants to be weak. Power and strength is the name of the game. Can we really be of value to God when we come with so much pain, and baggage and questions and doubts and anxiety and fear? And since we are living in this tension of already and not yet, we get stuck with the same old doubts and same old struggles and our identities and lives don’t reflect who we truly are in Jesus. So can we really do great and powerful things for God? Can we be of actual use to Him? Let’s see what the Word of God has to say about that.

Our series for the month of April is titled Already and Not Yet because the Christian life is a lot like that. It is an already and not yet sort of existence, where believers are caught between the tension of the present and the future. Because of the Lord’s resurrection, we have already been resurrected spiritually to new life, but we are not yet resurrected physically to eternal life. We already possess every spiritual blessing in Christ, but we do not experience the fullness of these blessings yet. Through faith in Jesus, we’ve already been reconciled with God, but we aren’t yet with God. We already have the forgiveness of our sins, but we aren’t free of sin yet. Our citizenship is already in heaven, but our street address is definitely not heavenly.  And so we get stuck with the same old doubts and same old struggles and our identities and lives don’t reflect who we truly are in Jesus, because let’s be real, life can flat out wear us down! So what do we do to ensure we are living out the resurrection every day? How do we thrive in the in between of already and not yet?

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.

The cross has always been a place of contradiction because it demonstrates both life and death; penalty and pardon; judgment and justification. In the Roman empire, the cross brought death in a brutal, humiliating way. But instead of shame, defeat, and spiritual death, believers of Jesus Christ find life, and life eternal in the cross. It is at the cross that we are reminded of God’s great love for us. Jesus could have freed Himself with one spoken word, but love kept Him there on the cross. The power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus died because His death opened the door of salvation to all people. Whoever trusts in Him by faith is forgiven for every sin and assured a place in heaven. And the power of the cross remains after salvation, transforming believers’ lives, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness. As 1 Peter 2:24-25 declares: “Through Christ’s death on the cross, those who turn to Him are delivered from both the penalty and the power of sin.” Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord will not force it on you. Instead, He offers righteousness freely to all who believe in Him and walk in His ways.