Empowered to live victoriously

http://www.intouch.org/read/magazine/daily-devotions/the-power-of-the-cross?firstItem=b0820140-9024-4859-a1ed-4d7f3a86c228

From the CANON on this blog:

      How the worship of Baal breaks the Ten Commandments

1.    Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Tyrants do not believe in the true God.  Their god is Tyranny.  They cause their subjects to worship and be dependent on them, rather than God.

 

    10. Thou shalt not covet.

This is what causes Tyrants and their subjects to violate all the other commandments.  The Tyrants covet, and their resulting actions cause their subjects to covet.

From today’s scripture reading:

For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.^g References for Romans 1:16

Footnotes

This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”^h     

  Romans 1:16-17

From today’s devotional:

The scene of the cross is a paradox. It demonstrates the power of God in what appears to be the weakest moment of His Son’s life. With hands and feet nailed to rough wood, Jesus looked totally helpless. Adding to that impression was the fact that He remained there while the crowd jeered, “If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Matthew 27:40).

Strength is not always revealed in a dramatic display; at times, it’s demonstrated in determined endurance. What power held Jesus on that cross, when with one spoken word He could have been free? It was divine love that kept Him there. With mankind’s eternal destiny at stake, Christ hung on the cross until our salvation was secured.

But the power of the cross didn’t end when Jesus finally finished His suffering, gave up His spirit, and died. His death thrust open the door of salvation to all people—those who walk through it by faith are forgiven for every sin and ensured a place in heaven.

Yet even after salvation, the power of the cross continues in believers’ lives. Millions of people have been transformed as a result of the Savior’s victory over sin and death. He sets us free from sinful habits and addictions, empowering us to live victoriously in His righteousness.

Have you let the cross do its work in your life? The Lord does not force its benefits on anyone. Rather, He offers them freely to all who will believe in Him and walk in His ways. With each step of faith that we take, the mighty work of God in us increases.