2025 Lent Devotional – Day 17

Lent Devotional: Day 17
The Cross-centered Life
Rev. Dr. David Mende

1 Corinthians 2:2 – For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

The world values strength and human wisdom. Corinth was known for its philosophy, wealth, and immorality. Paul was well-educated and highly intellectual. However, he does not try to impress the Corinthians with human wisdom. Instead, he focused on the cross of Christ. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 2:2 are countercultural. He did not reject knowledge or wisdom as such. But he understood that true wisdom is found in the cross of Christ. So, Paul says that instead of depending on rhetoric, he focused on the message of the cross. He did this so that the Corinthian believers would put their faith in Christ rather than human wisdom. Paul knew that only the cross of Christ could save us from our sins.

Today, some churches are entertainment-oriented. They constantly seek to keep their members happy by not mentioning or condemning sin. They teach personality development lessons from the pulpit, but there is hardly any mention of the cross. Some preach self-help, prosperity, and hyper-grace gibberish from their pulpits. As in Paul’s day, even today, the message of the cross is a stumbling block to people. That’s why many preachers avoid talking about it. But Paul constantly preached the message of the cross. When we proclaim the gospel, we must emphasize Christ’s cross and resurrection.

The major theme of Paul’s preaching was the cross of Christ because forgiveness is possible only through Christ’s sacrifice. What about us? Do we emphasize the cross adequately? We must sing about the cross. We must preach the cross. Also, we must carry the cross and follow Jesus. During this Lenten season, let’s make a commitment to live cross-centered lives. How can we live cross-centered lives? We must meditate on Christ’s sacrifice. Also, we must die daily to ourselves and live for Christ. We must walk in holiness and obedience. We must completely surrender to God’s will. We must be others-centered. We must be willing to suffer for the sake of Christ. In addition, we must proclaim the message of the cross through our words and deeds. Living a cross-centered life is not a one-time commitment. Instead, it’s a daily commitment. Shall we make that commitment today?

Prayer: Dear Father, grant me your grace to live a cross-centered life and bring glory to your name. May I be determined to know nothing except your Son, Jesus, and him crucified.