Far Be It

But far be it from me to glory except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Galatians 6:14a)

Gal. 6:11-14; 1 Cor. 1:17-18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:19-20 and 2:13-14

What Is God Saying?

Living by religious rules is wrong. They can quickly become out of phase with the truth. We might follow the rules of religious customs because we think they make us look good. We might also insist that others do the same. We might look down on them if they fail. But keeping the rules is not our hope, and it should not be our boast. We have all failed. The cross and all that it means should be our boast, our only glory. The cross does what human effort could never do. It is God's plan of victory. People used the cross to put an end to Christ, his words, his meddling, and his love. But it became the symbol of love's triumph, God's way of dealing with the condemnation that sin deserves, and redeeming us. Compared to that, boasting in our petty rules pales into insignificance. No wonder Paul said, ‘The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for boasting.’

How Does This Apply To Us?

‘O the Old Rugged Cross so despised by the world, Has a wondrous attraction for me.’

So, the cross becomes a symbol of victory and a source of encouragement and strength. The cross is universal in its influence and power. Jesus said, ‘And I, when I am lifted from the earth, will draw all men to myself' (John 12:32). It is also deeply personal and individual. We are encouraged to pray boldly and confidently. The cross becomes the key that opens the gate to the beautiful garden of prayer.

Pray With Me

Gracious God, let the sorrow of Calvary and the love of your son be to me as a glory and a covering. Let the cross stand between my true self and that other self that strives to have the upper hand. If I ever thought God was too big to bother with me and too distant to care, that thought has been removed in the wonder of your love poured out on the cross.

There was a time when I would have said, ‘Far be the cross from me. It is ugly, shameful, and cruel.’ Now, in the healing shadow of that very cross, my prayer is, ‘Far be all pride from me.’ Far, so far that in moments of weakness and insecurity, I shall neither care nor even remember to glory in anything but the Cross of Jesus Christ. Far from me be to pretend to be something important except as an instrument in your hand. My Lord's victory on the cross strengthens my heart. Through that narrow gate, you have opened an eternity of blessing to me. No merit I can earn, no accomplishment I can produce, no record I can show will ever make me deserving of your heavenly kingdom, here to there. Therefore, again and again, and with more profound wonder each time I say it, this is my prayer: ‘Far be it from me to glory except in the Cross.’

In the name of Jesus Christ, by whose cross the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Amen.

Moving On In The Life Of Prayer

Boasting in Christ's victory, we will never have to worry that we are not good enough. Pointing others to Christ's love and praying for them in the name of that love relieves us of the need to judge. Getting rid of that heavy burden is one of the by-products of seeing the cross in the right light; when we come to the place where we point only to the cross, new life and joy surge into our souls. The cross becomes our guide and our inspiration in the life of prayer.