Disciplines From the Cross: A Holy Week DevotionalSample

Acknowledge & Worship

Today, we are looking at the passage from Luke 23:32-43 and focusing on what happens here between the two criminals hanging on either side of Jesus on the cross. This is a familiar story to most of us, where these two men are arguing over who Jesus was. On one hand, we see one criminal accusing Jesus, while the other excuses Jesus because He is innocent. One rejected the Messiah, while the other acknowledged his innocence; his prayer was indicative of his faith in who Jesus truly was. At the end, Jesus turns to him and says these words: "Today you will be with me in paradise."

First, we need to recognize who Jesus is, just like the man hanging beside him recognizes that Jesus is innocent, that he doesn’t deserve to be crucified, that he’s there for no fault of his own. In the same way, we must recognize who Jesus is in our lives. That is the first aspect of our worship: recognizing and declaring that the Lord is holy, the Lord is the most high God, Jesus, you are the Holy One sent of God, so that you can be the lamb without blemish and the ultimate sacrifice for the world.

Acknowledging Christ for who He is—that is true worship. And that should and must be the beginning point of our worship times, whether it's in private, whether it's as a family, or whether it's on Sunday morning in our church services as our worship teams take us through worship experiences. We need to be able to recognize and acknowledge God for who He is.

As we begin to think about this, let us make it a lifestyle. Let us begin each day by acknowledging who Jesus is: He is the Lord of my life. Acknowledge the atoning work that Christ did for you on that cross. Singing praises, singing of the goodness of God, singing of God’s provision—they are all good. But coming to the crux of the matter, we must recognize who Jesus is and acknowledge him as Lord of our lives.

Once we have rightly recognized Christ in our lives, we must then declare Christ’s Lordship over our lives. This way, we live close to the cross, where we recognize that Christ is on the cross for our sin, while I'm at the cross for His holiness.

So, let's make a habit of acknowledging and declaring Christ's Lordship over our lives. He has the right over my life because He died and rose again, defeating sin and death for me! He has the right over my life because He is the Lord of my life. Think, ponder, don't rush away. Allow the Spirit of God to take this deeper into your heart.

Prayer

Father in heaven, what do we need to repent of today? I recognize your holiness, but as I recognize my sin, I want to acknowledge, along with the thief on the cross, that I should have been hanging there. I should have been punished. I should have been lost because of my own sin. But you, Lord God, innocent, sinless, became sin for me so that I might become the righteousness of God. I worship you by repenting, by acknowledging my sin; I worship you because in my acknowledgment, I recognize your holiness. Thank you, Father, for sending your Son, the Lord Jesus, for me. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.