Oswald Chambers had a few great statements yesterday (in the November 26 devotional) that I thought were worth examining a bit here and bringing to light some application for this world. Let me be clear first though that I do not believe Oswald Chambers needs to be "amplified" at all (especially by me), but the additional thoughts are just what the Lord was speaking to me as I was reading, and so I thought I would share them with you.
"If you want to know the power of God (that is, the resurrection life of Jesus) in your human flesh, you must dwell on the tragedy of God. Break away from your personal concern over your own spiritual condition, and with a completely open spirit consider the tragedy of God."Friends, where is our examination of the
tragedy of the cross? I have said it for years and I am convinced that we simply do not focus enough on the cross and what it means. Take a look at this world and you'll see why. Everything is about "me", even in the church we have folks showing up asking "how will the Lord bless me ..." and personally I am sick of it. The cross of Calvary
is beyond our understanding, but as a challenge we should be focused more on it to try to understand the mind of our Lord and why He would sacrifice His Son on it, for us. We must be willing to attempt to grasp the cross, to attempt the grasp the sacrifice -- and in doing so I believe our lives will be changed forever ... but it must be a life-long journey to comprehend Calvary.
"We have to focus on the great point of spiritual power— the Cross. If we stay in contact with that center of power, its energy is released in our lives."Wow. The cross
is our power. It is what brings to our realization that it is not about us, but it is about what happened on the cross for our sakes. Can you imagine if we were to really plug into the cross how different our lives would be? Could we imagine the change that would happen in our lives if we actually stopped trying to do things ourselves and yet allowed what God has given us to be manifested and to move through us? Let me be clear and unapologetic in saying that we can do nothing without God's authority and power; and I really feel that more pulpits need to have this proclaimed from them. It is not a human thing to bring people into the Kingdom of God, it is a Holy Spirit thing and as soon as we stop thinking we are something to behold, I believe that the cross will begin to have REAL power in our lives.
"The feebleness of the church is being criticized today, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this focus on the true center of spiritual power. We have not dwelt enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of redemption."Finally, this just hits it home for me. The church has no power today friends. We have lost the focus that it is about the cross, and in my opinion the cross needs to stop being a decoration on a wall. When will we wake up and see that the work is of God, and we are only vessels who have the honor of participating? I think this starts when we begin to try to comprehend the cross, even though we will never fully understand it. This ought to stir in us the need to continue searching for the understanding, and in this search make us hungry for the mind of God.
So, where is your priority? What do you focus on today? Is it the mystery and the wonder of the cross or is it on something on television or even here on the internet? It's time church to stop being feeble and pay attention to what God has done for you; and not spend all our time trying to do things in "our name". This nation, our city, our town, even our homes will NEVER change until we begin to focus on the power and the authority of the cross.
Wake up church ... wake up.
As we enter the Christmas season, it is important that we remember that joy, real joy, comes only from God because of the sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. Man-made joy falls apart, but joy from God is eternal! Show someone the joy you feel this week; rejoice in what Jesus has done and celebrate the Season! 
During this week's service (and most likely throughout most churches), we will discuss the passion our Lord and Savior endured to give us eternal life. It is important that we remember not only what Jesus has done, but what we must do in response to the suffering and death of the King of Kings. Today, would you be willing to examine your heart and ask the Lord what is in there that is not allowing Him to be first place? Would you be even braver to admit what that is and then lay it down at the cross? Jesus is calling us into a life of obedience with Him … not a life of convenience. What’s your response? 
Justification is the act of being brought into a right relationship with God, but it does not take into account anything we have done.
Throughout God's Word we are told of the importance of human life. God reveals to us that He knew us when were formed in our mother's womb (Jeremiah 1:5 and Psalm 139:15), which means that each of us was known to a righteous God for a specific purpose. This month, we remember the importance of the Sanctity of Human Life and it is the prayer of my heart that will seek the Lord honestly and pray for this critical issue in our nation. The cross Jesus endured was because ALL LIFE is precious to God, and as believers we must take this same stand as well. Will you seek the Lord on this critical issue and take a stand to ensure that life is preserved? If we do not speak as God's people ... who will?
