Lead Me to the Cross

So I love this song by Hillsong United. I love the music, lyrics, everything really about it...

but it hit me this morning what the song actually entails... I used to think of it as just another worship song... for those of us who grew up in church, a lot of times the words of songs become just words... unless we really stop and think, or experience what the writer was going through, and meant by the words...we just see them as nice sayings...

Asking someone to lead you to a cross is pretty much asking them to put you to death... we forget that a lot of times now a days... a cross was not a good thing in Jesus' day. It was the death penalty, reserved for criminals. It was not a noble way to die.

I think we all know what it means in theory to "take up your cross" but I've recently felt what that is like in practice, and let me tell you... it does not feel good. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if you are a Christian, and you have never felt led by God to make a hard decision, been asked to do something that your earthly self was just screaming for you not to do... your not following the Christ. In fact, the very act of becoming a Christian requires you to die to yourself- and that hurts!

It should hurt. We are selfish, earthly minded creatures most of the time. To make ourselves not want what we want... to say that we are not going to listen to our human thoughts and desires takes hard work and pain. It just does- fact.

I know it does... "everything I once held dear, I count it all as lost". What do we hold dear? Our possessions, friends, family? boyfriend/girlfriend? wife/husband? children?

to say that those things are nothing to us - lost- hurts. That only God matters as the center of your life..... IT HURTS. believe me. To tell someone you love that they are not important (well less important) is devastating.... I KNOW.

I'm not saying that we can't care about those things...that we can't love our sister, brother, friends, car... we can, just not more than God. If you find yourself putting someone or something -anything- other than God as the most important thing in your mind.... you need to consider it lost. lost to Christ.

I don't know, maybe you can't get this unless you've been through it... but the chorus of this song is a person asking God to rip their heart out basically. By singing that I'm saying "God there is something in me that is not glorifying you...something I have not let you have Lordship over. Take it- rip it out. If you have to bring me to my knees in pain, do it. I'm laying myself at your feet... I'm dieing here. Rid me of myself - kill my earthly desires... at any cost."

That may sound extreme but it is true. NOTHING should be greater than God in our lives. If something is, get it out - at any cost. ANY COST. It is going to hurt... really hurt... trust me... but have faith and trust that God is faithful and just. Trust that what he has planned for you is better than what you can plan or horde for yourself. Give it to Him, and he will give grace and mercy back to you.

If its your boyfriend, give that to God. Your house, give it to God. Your children or spouse, give it to God. Who knows, once you have laid it all out, and God is the Lord of your life, he might bring some of that back to you... a healthy relationship, a good life, a nice car...

But this time, you have learned to keep those things from becoming Lord of your life... you have learned to keep God first in your mind...you know what it feels like to have to cleanse your mind of earthly idols, and you will not want to go back there.

Lead Me to the Cross
Savior I come
Quiet my soul, remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and tried
You are
The word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you're risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart