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; I Cor. 1:17-18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:19-20 and 2:13-14.
What Is God Saying?
Living by our limited understanding of the rules of the religious game is wrong. They can quickly become out of phase with the truth. We frequently follow the rules of religious customs because they can make us look good. We might also insist on others marching to the same drumbeat. Because we take pride in our correctness, we might be tempted to look down on them a little if they don't measure up.
Keeping the rules is not our hope and should not be our boasting. 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. The symbol meant to demonstrate man's defeat of God has become the sign and assurance of victory—God's victory for us, received by faith, not works. The Cross was meant to put an end to Christ, His words, His troublesome meddling, and His persistent love. Instead, it becomes the ground of our boasting, the symbol of love's triumph, God's way of dealing with the condemnation that sin deserves, and yet, through forgiveness and grace, accepting the greatest sinner into the full status of the redeemed. 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 all thought of pretending 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 others in the name of that love relieves us of judging. 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.
