Let us fix our hearts and minds upon the cross of Jesus Christ. There is no symbol more central, no message more vital to our faith. It is only through the cross that salvation is made possible. Without the cross, there would be no hope, no reconciliation, no eternal life. Every Christian must return again and again to this simple, yet mighty truth: we boast only in the cross.

Paul, writing to the Galatians, makes it plain:

“But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14, BSB).

The apostle reminds us that boasting in our own strength, our achievements, or our status is not only empty—it is offensive when weighed against the majesty of what Christ has done.

All the trophies we gather in this life, all the medals and accolades we display, will one day be dust and ashes. Every worldly accomplishment fades. But the cross endures. It stands as a testimony to the greatest act of love and sacrifice the world has ever known. Through the cross, we are reconciled to God. Through the cross, we find life where once there was only death.

Without God, Solomon says, life itself is meaningless.

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2, BSB).

Without Christ, all our striving under the sun amounts to nothing. But because of the cross, we are given a new purpose and an everlasting hope.

It should not surprise us that the world sees the message of the cross as foolishness. Paul writes to the Corinthians,

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, BSB).

The world chases after power, wisdom, and pride. But at the cross, true wisdom and true power are found, clothed in humility and self-giving love.

Let us not be ashamed of this message. Let us not shrink back because it does not align with the world’s values. Instead, let us proclaim the cross boldly, knowing it is the very power of God for salvation.

And what riches have been given to us through Christ’s sacrifice! Paul tells the Colossians,

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14, BSB).

Every sin, every debt, every shameful stain has been washed away by the blood of the Lamb. You and I, once dead in our sins, have been made alive in Christ! What then can compare to such grace?

Imagine a man who has climbed a high mountain. He reaches the summit, his body aching from the climb, his muscles burning. He could boast in his strength and his perseverance. But as he looks out from the peak, beholding the endless landscape of mountains, valleys, and sky, he is overwhelmed. His own smallness is undeniable. The grandeur before him speaks of a glory far beyond anything he could achieve.

So it is for us when we gaze upon the cross. Every worldly accomplishment fades into the background. Before the love of God revealed in Christ crucified, we have nothing left to boast in but Him.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, BSB).

Here, at Calvary, we find the fullest expression of love—the love that chose suffering, that chose death, that chose us.

Dear friends, where is your boast today? Is it in your success? Your strength? Your reputation? Or is it in Christ alone? Have you fixed your eyes on the cross, where mercy and truth meet, where righteousness and peace kiss each other? (Psalm 85:10).

The invitation remains open: come, and boast not in yourself, but in the Savior who gave Himself for you. Let the cross be your anthem, your hope, your song. Let it be the banner under which you live and the joy that sustains you until the day you see your crucified and risen Lord face to face.

Cross References:

• Jeremiah 9:23-24 (Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord)
• Philippians 3:7-8 (Counting all things as loss compared to knowing Christ)
• Romans 5:8 (While we were still sinners, Christ died for us)
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 (God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us)
• Hebrews 12:2 (Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith)