Spiritual Ponderings

I began to wonder about something a couple days ago. Is it a possibility that when I dwell on the faults of others or even spend much time listening to or reading the news about bad things happening around the world, or when I fill my mind with information about conspiracy theories that can frighten me or pass along rumors about what people in positions of authority are doing to abuse their power – am I in fact attempting, at least some extent, to take onto my own self the sins that I am thinking about? And if that is so, then am I also attempting to do what only Jesus is supposed to do? And here is another thought connected with that. Is this why God's Word says am supposed to spend my time in praise and gratitude and focusing on the real truth about God's goodness and greatness and love and grace and mercy? Because to dwell on anything less than that by feeding on the negative things of this world is to act as an antichrist, trying to do the work of the Sin-bearer, is

I am crucified with Christ. (Galatians 2:20 KJV) There are four important operative words in this most important statement describing the experience of every genuine Christian. But until now I have missed possibly the most important message hiding in plain sight here. There is so much in these simple words that I am sure I do not have time or space right now to unpack a lot of it, but I want to capture what I am seeing before it slips out of sight. I am Crucified I am the one that needs crucified. This is all through the references Jesus made repeatedly about taking up my cross and following Him. Of course, if I have the typical confused or distorted views of why Jesus died on the cross then I will continue to have very vague ideas about the meaning of what it means to take up a cross or be crucified myself. But given the much clearer pictures of God and an increasing appreciation of the real issues and reasons around why the event of His cross took place, I now have much