READ: ROMANS 8:1; GALATIANS 6:14; HEBREWS 12:1-3; 1 PETER 2:23-25

When I see a cross, I don’t think much of it. People use the shape of a cross on jewelry, t-shirts, tattoos, logos, books, and church buildings. But back in the New Testament times, crosses were a symbol of condemnation and shame. Crucifixion was the most brutal, humiliating death the Roman Empire could come up with, and it was shameful even to mention the word cross.

However, after Jesus died on a cross—and rose again three days later—the cross gradually became a sign of Christianity and salvation. Today, whenever I see a cross, I connect it with church, Christians, and Jesus. For those who’ve put their trust in Jesus, the cross can be a reminder of His sacrifice on our behalf, of His victory over sin, and of our forgiveness and redemption through Him.

Our own lives are similar. Before Jesus came into our lives, we were covered in sin and shame. We were condemned to be eternally separated from God. But, when we put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our lives were redeemed. Where there was once condemnation and sin, there is now Jesus’s love and forgiveness. Our lives now tell a story of His victory over sin.

That’s the whole reason Jesus came. He is the Son of God, and He became human and lived among us, fully God and fully human, for thirty-three years. Ultimately, He faced an unspeakably horrifying death on a cross. He died for our sins and rose from the dead on the third day because He loves us, and He wants to redeem and transform us. So now, if we know Jesus, our lives are a testimony of His work on the cross. We were not meant to live in shame, but in our forgiven identity in Christ. And even though we will continue to mess up and sin until Jesus returns, God is with us in the messes, and He even uses them as opportunities for His glory. • Morgan A. Mitchell

• What do you think of when you see a cross?

• How have you experienced Jesus’s work of redemption in your life? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this.

• If you want to dig deeper, you can read about Jesus’s crucifixion in Matthew 27:11–28:10; Mark 15:1–16:8; Luke 22:63–24:12; John 19:1–20:18.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NIV)