Let Me Glory in the Cross

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

Galatians 6:14

We live in a society that is very proud of its accomplishments. It's proud of how technologically advanced it is. It's proud of how "progressive" it is. It's proud of how independent it is. Of course, a society is made up of people, and the people of our society are what gives it its braggadocios nature. We constantly hear people toot their own horn about the things they've accomplished or the things they have.

I believe in giving credit where credit is due. When someone achieves something worthwhile, why not give them their roses while they can still smell them? I like technology. I think it has made our lives much easier than they would otherwise be. Granted, some people use it in evil ways to do evil things, but that's a matter of the heart, not technology. Then there are other "accomplishments" of mankind that I, to put it bluntly, regard as complete garbage.

Whether we think any of the things mentioned above are good or bad, however, there is a serious problem when we or our society chooses to glory in them. If we're honest, I think we'd all have to admit to being guilty of glorying in things that we've seen or done. That's part of human nature. Human nature loves attention, and it loves to be recognized.

Perhaps it strikes you as odd that I used the word guilty there and said that it's a problem when we glory in our accomplishments. I stand by that. If you really think about it, what have any of us done on our own that is of eternal merit? One day, this world is going to burn up, and everything that we've ever accomplished on our own -- everything that mankind has ever accomplished -- will burn up with it. When you cut to the heart of it, the only things that we can do that are of any eternal value are those that are done in the power of the Holy Spirit and for the glory of Jesus Christ.

Think about that for a moment. If you want to do anything truly worthy of glory, it has to be done through and for the glory of God. In other words, there is no real glory for us, and we shouldn't really want or expect it. Our focus should be squarely on the person, work, and cross of Jesus Christ, and it should be our goal in life to magnify Him.

Folks, this life isn't about us. It's all about Jesus Christ. He's the One that created the world and us. He's the One who became what we are (sin) so that we could be made what He is (righteous). He's the One who willingly and lovingly laid down His life to cleanse us of sin and to restore our fellowship with Him. This may sound strange at first, but we should look out for #1. The catch is that we're not #1 -- Jesus is. Our lives shouldn't be dedicated to glorifying ourselves and our works, but to glorifying the Saviour and His cross. When you stop to think about what He has done for us, it's only right. He alone is worthy.