17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
We have all experienced some people we could label as hollow, empty. As you examine their lives, no substance can be found. (That was the way some of us, dare I say, all of us, used to live before eternity invaded.) They might say all the right things, but when it comes down to decision time, all that comes out is excuse after excuse. The life of faith has no place for empty promises or hollow lives. We are called to be people of substance. And the grace-filled truth is that God has provided all the substance to fill our lives. We just need to yield and He will fill us. Open the lid and let God pour Himself into our being. If we substitute our cotton-candy confections for His sirloin substance, we end up on a momentary sugar high and unable to be satisfied or to satisfy others’ hunger. That is the power of the cross. It is substance, but we must be willing to swallow the pill of humility and shame. He died in our place and we don’t deserve it. We should have been executed, but we stood by and watched, perhaps jeering and mocking. The substance of the cross is difficult for pride-filled humans to accept. It is also difficult for crushed humans. “I don’t deserve it.” That is correct, but that is grace. None of us deserves it, but that does not change the substance of the cross. He did die in our place and we don’t deserve it. And yet that doesn’t alter the fact that it is true. Are you willing to let the cross exercise its substance in your life?
The Arnold Journey 