The Cross Is Central
Scripture Reading — Galatians 6:11-18
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
—Galatians 6:14
On the farm where I grew up, we had several tractors to help us work the land, harvest the crops, and haul materials. The tractor’s benefit came when it was hooked to a piece of equipment. This connection was possible with a small hitch pin. Without the hitch pin connected, the equipment was useless and could not move. But with the hitch pin connecting the tractor to the equipment, we were able to accomplish great things.
The Christian faith has a “hitch pin” that connects heaven and earth. That pin is the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul says, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul understood the significance of the cross as being the main thing. The cross shows victory, forgiveness, power, and freedom.
The Galatians had lost sight of the cross, so Paul reminded them (earlier), “You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.” He then asked, “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:1-2). The Galatians’ focus was on what they could do instead of what Christ had already done for them on the cross, and how the Holy Spirit could now guide them.
Are you boasting in the cross of Jesus? Or in your accomplishments? Let it be in Christ!
Thank you, Jesus, for being willing to endure the shame of the cross to reconnect heaven and earth for our sake. We boast in your cross, Lord. Amen.
About the author — John Kuperus
Since he was young, John Kuperus has had a passion that everyone would know Jesus. Spreading the good news that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15) is very important to him. To be better equipped for missions, John attended Reformed Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He applied these skills with marketplace evangelism in a business he started in Sussex, New Jersey. This calling continued to follow him, so John attended seminary and became a minister in the Christian Reformed Church, serving a church in Ontario for eight years. Currently he serves as a missionary for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). He witnesses Jesus changing lives as people walk out of the darkness into the light. John is married to Helen, and they have seven children.
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