Keeping the Cross Central

The junior high youth just finished studying the Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. I really enjoyed the study - sometimes I wonder if I enjoy the studies we do more than the kids actually do - and I wanted to share some of the things I got out of it.

We are never to 'move on' from the gospel. Mahaney said that often times people feel like after they are saved (and therefore clearly have a perfect understanding of the gospel) they decide that they need to move on to mastering prayer, mastering submission, mastering faithfulness, mastering holiness. The book urged us not to view our sanctification in this manner. He said that we are to learn to pray, learn submission, faithfulness, holiness through the gospel - not apart from it.

We also learned that the chief goal of Jesus dying on the Cross was to glorify God - not to save us. We learned that the main reason God does anything He does is to glorify Himself. And we learned that the chief end of man truly is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, everything we do should ultimately be to glorify God. We should submit to our husbands to glorify God. We should discipline our children to glorify God. We should witness to unbelievers to glorify God. Are there other reasons we should do these things? Absolutely. But the main reason must always be to glorify God.

I learned many things from reading this book. Even as I type this, I must excercise extreme self control not to simply go chapter by chapter and outline the truths I found within. Because then this post would be nearly as long as the book! I do urge you, though, never to 'move on' from the gospel. Always keep it at the forefront of your mind. Execute any changes in your life through the gospel. Make your decisions through the gospel. Plan your day through the gospel.