June 15

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Then Herod, with his men of war, treated Him (Jesus) with contempt… Luke 23:11

God has chosen… things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are… 1 Corinthians 1:28

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🔊 It is easy to take for granted that Jesus let go of His life. This verse from Luke describes a moment in the cruel frenzy of mockery and rejection of Christ. He was made nothing, and so let go of His life. The sign that He had let go of His life was that there was no retaliation or inward bitterness. Jesus Christ accepted being made of no reputation, and was brought to nothing. Then God made Him the centre of the ages. God made Christ the Lord and ruler of all. In our lives, God is not seeking to rearrange our character in order to bring out the best in us. He is seeking to bring us to the same absolute surrender that makes us nothing. A person who has become nothing is dead to personal insults, criticism or being overlooked; they are free from bitterness and selfishness. It is on the basis of this inner surrender to the cross that God fills us with the Holy Spirit and moves so powerfully through us. As we become nothing, we will be amazed at what God makes out of us. The cross is the end of human-centred striving that promises so much and delivers so little. It marks the beginning of all that God can create and do in a life that is fully surrendered to Him.