Boast In The Cross

Boast In The CrossAqualyn Toi Jones What do you boast about? Yes, I'm asking you.And no, you're not exempt from this question. We've all boasted about something. Maybe it's your children / grandchildren and how smart they are. Perhaps it was about your material possessions or your accomplishments. Nonetheless, I know that you've bragged at some point in time. Feeling ashamed? Well, that's not my intention.I think bragging is a natural tendency for some. We just like to share the good things that go on in our lives. The problem is not in boasting. The issue lies in what we boast about. In Galatians 6:14, Paul says, "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified ..." Well, that may be the problem right there. Maybe our tendency is to boast in everything but the cross. Paul says that if he's going to boast, he's going to boast in the cross. Why? Frankly, there's nothing else to brag about. None of my achievements or awards can compare to what happened on the cross of Christ. All of my efforts, recognitions, and rewards fall short of what happened on that cross. We're taught at a young age to say 'Please' and 'Thank You'. We're also taught to put our best foot forward. To show our strengths instead of our weaknesses. Show-and-tell taught us to bring our best and to brag (oops, I mean talk) about it. No wonder we get this boasting thing all wrong. One of my favorite pieces of jewelry is a cross pendant that I bought almost seven years ago. It's not the first cross that I've owned. It doesn't have any diamonds on it. In fact, it's sterling silver. It's cute and I'm proud of it. This cross is special to me because I bought it during my first missions' trip to South Africa. I haven't seen one like it yet. How's that for boasting?But my cross - no matter how cute - has nothing on the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing I do can match the power of the cross. My good intentions still fall short. When Jesus died on the cross we became the sons and daughters of God. The cross was the vehicle to destroy the hold of sin over us. It put us it good standing with God. The cross introduced a lasting and eternal change in the relationship between God and man. Why would we even want to boast about ourselves? Instead, let us brag with Paul about the cross and the lasting and eternal change it brings to our lives.