WE ARE CONSIDERING the power to separate from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord when we give our time and attention and interest to astrology or spiritualism. The love of God in Christ Jesus is seen supremely in the cross. To take your eyes off the cross and put them on the stars, or to spend your time in trying to peep beyond the veil of death is to substitute the purposely concealed for the purposely revealed. God revealed His heart at the cross. Nothing in heaven or on earth or under the earth can reveal anything deeper than, or different from the love of God when God in Christ died on the cross to redeem us. To get your eyes off that by putting them on the stars is to substitute the marginal and magical for the central and moral. To try to peep behind the veil is to substitute a peep show for the open vision we have as we gaze through the rent veil of His flesh into the redeeming heart of God.
Someone objects, “Didn’t Moses and Elijah appear to Jesus from that other world?” Yes, they did. But what did they talk about? The account tells us: “And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:30–31). Note: “they spoke of his departure which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem”—they spoke of the cross! Nothing bigger in that world or this than the cross! The focus of their attention was upon the cross.
To spend one’s time and attention trying to peer into the secrets of the future takes our eyes off the redemptive act of God at the cross—separates us from that love. The adversary doesn’t mind our being religious; in fact, he would encourage it, provided he can get us on the marginal stars or the marginal knothole views of the next world instead of on the greatest thing that ever took place in this world, or any world, the cross.
O Father, Thou didst wrap Thy heart in flesh and blood and didst let it break on a cross for our redemption. To leave that in favor of marginal interests is to leave the fountain of living water and turn to broken cisterns that can hold no water. Save us. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: If Moses and Elijah coming from that other world were interested in Jesus and His death, then that is where the focus of my attention will be.
