Thinking Aloud

Without His Cross
By: Joseph M. Martin

Without His tears, there is no comfort
Without His death, there is no life
Without His blood, there is no pardon
Without His cross, there is no crown

Without His shame, there is no glory
Without His grief, there is no joy
Without His stripes, there is no healing
Without His cross, there is no crown

Lamb of God, You bring salvation
And with Your grace, our hearts are sealed
Lord, with Your tears of love, You bathed our sorrows
In Your eyes we stand revealed

Without His tears, there is no comfort
Without His death, there is no life
Without His blood, there is no pardon
Without His cross, there is no crown

Have you heard of the phrase: “The opposite of love is not hate…but indifference”?

Though love and hate are seemingly on opposite ends of a spectrum, they embody the same intensity of emotion and resolve. When we love something deeply, we would also hate something to the same degree that threatens what we love.

So does someone who has not known sadness (which is not likely if you are alive and well… haha… precisely making my point) really, really know what happiness is. We go through life’s twists and turns, and emerge, hopefully more poised for future twists and turns… and growing in our love for God and for others. It’s about being more and more like Jesus, and how He lives through us. It’s mirroring what He has been through for us to help us face life’s challenges! What a sacrifice of love!

I sang the above song “Without His Cross” with a choir on Good Friday.
I especially love these 2 lines:

- “Lord, with Your tears of love, You bathed our sorrows.”
Jesus cried too! Cry with Him, He identifies with us.
Feel His love in our times of sorrow.

- “In Your eyes we stand revealed.”
There is nothing we can hide from God.
Do not fear or hesitate in approaching Him.

Receive His healing.

“…with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5