“‘Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth,
will draw all people to myself.’ [Jesus] said this to show the kind of death he was going to die.” John 12:31-33 (NIV)
Many years ago, in a certain church, it was customary for new members to be called to the front at the close of the worship service. The first to be called one morning was a Chinese laundryman who had just moved to the area. He stood to one side at the front. More were called up, and they all stood on the opposite side, leaving the lowly laundryman standing alone. A final person, also new to the area, was called up. He was a chief justice. He walked up and stood close beside the laundryman.
The pastor welcomed the group into the church fellowship, then said to the congregation: “I do not want you to miss this illustration. This chief justice took his place beside the laundryman. At the cross of Jesus, the ground is level.”
Also, at the cross, the ground is safe. For years, First Nations people and others have saved their homes from prairie fires by setting fire to the dry grass close by. The fire cannot cross where the fire has already been. There is a place of safety at the cross—where judgement has already fallen and can never come again! The one who takes his stand at the cross is saved forevermore. He can never come into condemnation, for he is standing where “the fire” has already been. The saved person is in God’s safety zone, cleansed by the blood of Christ.
The cross is the wisdom of God. Who but God could think of such a plan as this, and defeat the enemy at the same time? Only our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
– Terry Hall
Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.
Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org