Friday 10th June 2016 - Daily Reading:
Galatians 6:11-18 - Boast in nothing else!

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation."

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ..." Paul's heart clearly cares nothing about the glory that came from fame! He wasn't interested in being popular, that's for sure! Paul also cared nothing about the glory that came from riches! He knew what it was like to be without. We also know that Paul cared nothing about the glory that came from status and power among men. Philippians 3:4-6 says "If anyone else thinks he has reason to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless." It seems Paul may have know what it was like to be from status and power among men! He goes on to say "But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ."

Paul only cared about the glory of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ! Nothing more! In Galatians 5:24, Paul wrote about having crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Now, in these verses from Galatians 6, Paul also puts the world on the cross, and considers himself dead to the world. And so therefore, the world can't have influence over Paul if it is dead.

And what is it that Paul means when he says that the world is dead to him? Here is how a commentator explained it: "The world, in the sense Paul means it here, is not the global earth; nor is it the mass of humanity (which God himself loves, John 3:16). Instead it is the community of sinful humanity that is united in rebellion against God." So these are the two things I want to pick up on this morning from Galatians 6! Paul only cared about the glory of the cross of Christ! And he died to the world! Let me encourage you this morning... let's do likewise, because we too have nothing to boast about, other than the cross of Jesus!

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