…who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree… —1 Peter 2:24

The cross was not the place where Christ lost but rather won. It was there at the intersection of the Cross where God’s Wrath was met by the powerful blood of His Holy Son and became the Beautiful Collision.

This collision of sin and Savior was not about death but life…life for all. Jesus surrendered and sacrificed Himself to purchase the right to life for all Mankind. This wasn’t a coincidence or a mistake but a well-thought-out plan to redeem and secure Mankind. It was Jesus’ intention all along to die for us and on the cross is where it happened, once and for all, Christ bore up our sins in the ultimate and consummate offering of Himself to his Father.

The Cross was not something that happened to Jesus— He came to die; the Cross was His purpose in coming. He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). The incarnation of Christ would have no meaning without the Cross. Beware of separating “God was manifested in the flesh…” from “…He made Him…to be sin for us…” (1 Timothy 3:16 ; 2 Corinthians 5:21). The purpose of the incarnation was redemption. God came in the flesh to take sin away, not to accomplish something for Himself. The Cross is the central event in time and eternity, and the answer to all the problems of both. Oswald Chambers

Jesus our leader, demonstrates the powerful act of giving Himself to The Father. We will never be able or even asked to give ourself for Mankind. We are not the Saviors (nor should we try to be). But we will be asked to give ourselves fully to the mission and the plan of God. As leaders, it is essential that we remember taking up our cross will cause a collision of sorts in our own lives: relationships, jobs, futures, and even other lives could be at stake based on decisions we choose to make as a leader. So make them carefully, prayerfully and wisely.

Taking up our cross and following Jesus is not about “dying” as much as it is “denying”. In some cases, especially as we see happening around us lately, many people are dying for their faith in Christ. However, the death that Christ calls us to each and every day is a death to self or a self-denial. Perhaps the real collision is the “death to selfie”: all the images and pictures we have in our own minds of all the great things we would accomplish for God and embracing the daily worship of God through “menial” service and love of others around us? Are your dreams for your life the same as God’s? Do you think that Jesus’ death on the cross was a success or failure as perceived by people of His time? The point is that what God may be asking you to do may not make any sense at all to those around you, as was the case for Jesus and His disciples. We must be about obedience not logic or what makes sense.

Philippians 2: 8 And being found in appearance as a man,

    he humbled himself

    by becoming obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

The Beautiful Collision happens for leaders when we are are able to say “He must increase and I must decrease”, like John said in John 3:30. It’s imperative for leaders to remember that our first task is to please God and then to serve Him and His purposes. This may mean making hard decisions about what to do, where to go, whom to serve and how that serving will be done being that you only have so much time and only one life to give. Jesus gave His life to His Father’s plan and God was pleased with that. As a leader, give yourself to God once again today and allow His plan and your life to collide. Regardless of what happens, your understanding or perception of it all, in God’s eyes, it will be a beautiful collision.