lifted up in the desert

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  John 3:14-15

This has always been one of my favorite passages of scripture.  When we arrived at Mt. Nebo in the summer of 1999, I was delighted to see the serpentine cross as we approached the summit.  I was to do the meditation at Mt. Nebo and had drawn from the image of Moses lifting up the serpent in the desert and here I had the perfect visual in front of me.  

When the Israelites were bitten by the snakes that filled the camp, all they had to do was look up - and gaze at the bronze serpent Moses had made.  Likewise, when we as Christians have been bitten by the 'serpent of sin,' all we have to do is look up in repentance and place our faith in Jesus hanging on the cross.  Jesus went to the cross to pay the price so that we could be forgiven for our sins.

Dear Lord, when I look up and see Jesus hanging on the cross, engrave on my heart the depth of love He had for me to pay the price of my sin.  Amen.