Cruciform: Living the Cross-Shaped Life
I just completed what I think is one of the most simple, yet insightful, books available on the outworking of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. God has been shaping my understanding of the Gospel by both chiseling away at my false suppositions and supplementing my already correct ones, leading to a far greater appreciation of what Jesus accomplished for me. This book fits perfectly into the Gospel-saturated journey that has been weaved into my path in recent days. I hope that my thoughts about the book will spur you on to read it for yourself, beginning your journey of not only seeing the cross of Jesus Christ more clearly than ever before, but also sculpting your life into the shape of the cross. Cathedrals posses some of the most beautiful, ornate architecture of any structure built in the Middle Ages. Interestingly, some of the floor plans of these Cathedrals were in the shape of a cross. The prominence of the cross in the structure of the building served as a constant reminder of the Gospel and its prominence in God’s redemptive plan.
In the same way that the Cathedrals were made into the shape of the cross, so our lives should be lived out in the shape of a cross – “the Cruciform Life.” You and I strive desperately to be something and do something special because we were made to be and do just that. We were created to be a part of a community-on-mission with God to exalt and proclaim His glory in all things and to all people. However, instead of joining in this community-on-mission, we selfishly look inward to how we can best further ourselves.
So, imagine the simple shape of a cross. Picture the intersection point of the horizontal and vertical pieces as a nucleus from which all (now four) of the pieces of the cross originate. We were designed, in all of our actions, to worship God and exalt His name (the upward section of the cross), and point all people with whom we interact, and all of creation to worship Him as well (both the horizontal pieces and the downward piece).
Because we have perverted this model into one in which we only look to serve and love ourselves, God sent Jesus to be the ultimate model of the Cruciform Life while on earth, and then to offer His life as an atoning sacrifice, completely restoring us to the God who created us. As we look at the example of Jesus, we see two things very clearly: He lived as a Son and loved as a servant. You have to get this. We are called to serve people and make God’s glory known among all nations, but we cannot do this without first understand our “son-ship.” Realizing that because of the cross we have God’s total acceptance and affection, we can have the confidence and satisfaction in our relationship with God to “count all things as loss” and take on the role of a servant.
You see, when I understand that no matter what I do, think, say, or what others do, think, or say to me, I still have God’s total acceptance and affection, I am totally free to lay down my life – I have nothing to lose. Now I can live my life to show others how they too can experience this kind of freedom. However, I must continually come back to the cross to be reminded of who God is, who I am, and what Jesus has done for me. Then I go back into the world with new love and passion to serve others with. This cyclical life is the Cruciform Life.
What I love about this book is that it does not leave us with some Theological truth, but meets us where we are daily living, giving practical applications of those Theological truths. How do we live as sons, and serve people? Using an ingenious, stick-figure drawing, Davis illustrates how to view our daily lives as “waiting tables.” We have to have our eyes open to see who is sitting at the “tables” of where we work, eat, workout, and shop. Each of us has areas of influence, and God has called us to serve and love those in our sphere of influence. So, now we apply the cyclical process of going to the cross, and then acting out the cross to each of these “tables” that we are serving.
The great misunderstanding of Christianity today is that I have to “do these things” in order to earn the presence and acceptance of God. You and I can do absolutely nothing to gain or lose God’s affection and acceptance for us. Jesus earned that for you and I. If you are trusting in anything else to earn that for you, you are sadly mistaken. For example, I do not read my Bible so that God will be accept me, I read my Bible to understand better the fact that He already has accepted me in Jesus, and to hear Him tell me that again. Davis helps us to understand more clearly this concept through his own personal journey.
I hope that my words have stimulated in your heart a desire to read this book and see more extensively how YOU can live the Cruciform Life that God created you to live. The truths of the Gospel combined with Jimmy Davis’ personal experiences are sure to impact your heart and mind, compelling you to begin living the Cruciform Life. I cannot urge you enough to read this simple, short, Gospel-saturated book.
You can purchase your copy of the book at Amazon Site or Cruciform Site
Also, if you want to enter to win a free, signed copy of the book, go to http://cruciformlife.org/
You can find Jimmy’s blog at http://cruciformlife.org/blog.htm
Scott
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