The cross of Christ will always be one of the great paradoxes of all time.  The day that Jesus died for our transgressions was at once the darkest and the most joyous the world has ever seen.  Without the cross upon which Jesus shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins, we would be destined to be lost forever.  We rejoice that Jesus was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that we might have the hope of heaven.  At the same time, the cross will always bring us sadness, knowing that an innocent man was tortured upon it, and it was all because of us.

No man was ever mistreated more than Jesus was on the hill of Golgotha.  Many years ago, Isaiah prophesied about it.  

Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV)
⁴ Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds, we are healed.

Because Jesus was willing to be afflicted, we now enjoy peace with God (Romans 5:1).  For this, we should be grateful every day.  Do not forget to thank God for your salvation.  I know that the affairs of life can occupy our minds, as well as our time and energy, but we must find time to express our thankfulness to God for all that He and His Son was willing to do on our behalf.

Shifting gears, it is interesting that Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified, means “Place of a Skull” (Matthew 27:33).  Since we cannot be sure about the exact location of Golgotha, we cannot be sure why it was called the “Place of a Skull.”  Most believe it was because the hill resembled a human skull, but others believe it was because it was a place of execution and human skulls could be found there.  The meaning of Golgotha is only interesting to me because of the play on words that we can make of it.

We too must be crucified at “the place of a skull.”  I read a statement from someone about this years ago that has always stayed with me.  It said, “The territory of the uncrucified thought life is the center of satanic assault in our lives.”  What a profound thought, and very much true.  If the devil can defeat us, it is only because our minds remain uncrucified.  In other words, if we fail to put to death the carnal and worldly thoughts that plagued the old man, the devil will infiltrate our hearts and have his way with us.  Our minds must be protected from Satan at all costs.

The best way to do this is to fill our minds with the Word of God.   Paul once wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16).  That is precisely how we overcome the devil.  If the Word of God is in our minds, Satan cannot influence them and cause us to live in sin.  John said, “No one born of God makes a practice is sinning…” (1 John 3:9).  Why not?  He tells us in the rest of the verse: “…for God’s seed abides in him.”  The seed is the Word of God (Luke 8:11).   Protect your mind by filling it with God’s Word.

Jesus was crucified at “the Place of a Skull.”  We, too, must be crucified at the place of a skull.  We must be transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we can prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2).

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.