Written by Jonathan Melton
Galatians 6:14 (NRSV) May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
A Wisconsinite moved to South Texas with a full array of down jackets. Shortly after arriving, the Wisconsinite was joined by some neighbors, who helped with the unpacking. When her new friends came across the jackets, they laughed. Appreciating these relics of another world, they soon added gently, “Friend, you won’t need those here.”
You won’t need those here. Paul suggests that in the kingdom of the crucified Christ, the social weapons of posturing, jockeying, and self-justification are weapons we won’t need. We can boast in the cross of Christ because the cross of Christ has removed our need for boasting.
Because we no longer seek to defeat one another or God, we are free to pursue new and holy friendships made possible by the radical good news that God, in Christ, has made us God’s family. What a gift: God has freed our hands, our lives, so that we might be open to postures of generosity, gentleness, and love!
Join more than a half million readers worldwide who use Forward Day by Day as a resource for daily prayer and Bible study.
No comments:
Post a Comment