Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Boast in the Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 6:11-16)

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. For those who are circumcised do not even keep the Law themselves, but they desire to have you circumcised so that they may boast in your flesh. But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.
(Galatians 6:11-16, NASB)

Some of us boast in our accomplishments. “Look at what I did,” we say. We take pride in the number of committees we’re on or the ministries we belong to. We love that our plate is full of the things we do for God.

Others boast in relationships. We’re proud of the number of friends we have or who we know. We love to tell others how we’ve encouraged our friends or helped them in times of need.

Still others boast in how well we follow God’s word. We memorize scriptures and diligently study God’s word—and make sure others know we do.

Doing good things for God, nurturing our relationships, or spending time in God’s word aren’t wrong. In fact, they’re wonderful—if done with a right heart.

However, we cannot boast in anything we do or are. We can only boast in the “cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words, everything we do should point to our Lord. Never should we desire the eyes of others to be on us. They should gaze directly on the face of our Savior.

He is the only one about whom we can boast. For He is the only one who truly deserves our praise.

No comments: