Mark 8:11- And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him.
12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.
I was told of a story when I was a child of how a minister was shown a “P” his dream, as it freely floated in the sky. He immediately requested a meeting with his pastor. When the time came, in tears he conveyed what he believed the dream revealed to his leader. He said, “Pastor, God is calling me to pastor a church.” The elderly leader sat ever so quiet until the young man was finished. Then he spoke, “My brother, maybe this ‘P’ stood for pray?” Silence rushed the room.
When the Jews asked Jesus for a sign he told them that no sign would be given to them. This was because of their unbelief. The cross would be the eternal sign of salvation to a lost world, and Jesus is the source of the grace of God by which salvation is available. Therefore, inline with the suffering of Christ, a submitted and obedient life to God is the sign of being ready for service to the Lord. What the cross stands for is not cool, popular, or that which is in style. The cross is the sign which says I have died to the world, and the world is dead to me (Gal. 6:14). So if you think you are ready to be used of God, are you dead yet? Only when we are dead is the sign of the cross truly visible, because Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit is leading us. It is then that we are ready to move to the next level.