Day One: The Road Less Traveled

Welcome to Holy Week 2010! Thanks for joining me on this exciting 7-day spiritual journey as we explore together the rich spiritual depths of Christ’s sacrifice and triumph for us. Yesterday on Palm Sunday, many Christians marked the commencement of Holy Week through Palm Sunday observances commemorating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem in the days before His passion. The road less traveled is often so because it is not a road filled with easy pleasures and popularity, but rather one of sacrifice and rejection. Jesus, in obedience to the Father and because of His incredible love for you and me, courageously took the painful road to Jerusalem and to Calvary. As you read through today’s blog, consider the following question: What road am I on today and where will it ultimately take me? The promise of Holy Week is that if you choose to travel the road that Jesus is on, despite its many difficulties, you will enjoy sweet intimacy with Him and discover the fullness of life and ultimate victory that only He provides.

Picture the Lord Jesus hanging on the cross—His body wracked with excruciating pain—and He cries out to you: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). As you see Him there, bloodied and broken, but resolute in His love for you, reflect on the following:

1. As many modern-day spiritual pilgrims mistakenly do during Holy Week observances, do you find yourself drawing close to the cross without hearing the cry of Jesus?

2. What does the cross personally mean to you?

3. How do you commemorate the meaning of the cross in your life on a daily basis?

4. How can you best share that meaning with others?

This perpetual cry of Jesus is still echoing distinctly through the passing centuries and is just as relevant and paramount today as it was then. In the midst of life’s difficulties and wearisome burdens, it conveys God’s personal invitation to you to come to His Son Jesus Christ and find lasting peace and rest.

If you have not done so before, why not take this opportunity during Holy Week to respond to Jesus’ perpetual invitation to come to Him? Find a quiet and private space right now and pray this simple prayer in faith: “Heavenly Father, I thank You for inviting me to come to You whenever I am weary and burdened. I hear the cry of Jesus calling out to me and I come placing all my cares and troubles at the cross. Forgive me for all the wrong decisions I made that have caused so much conflict and turmoil in my life and help me to stay on the road that You have prepared for me. I ask now for Your power to be released in every area of my life and I receive Your peace and rest. In the name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen!”