This morning I read the book of Galatians in its entirety. It ends with these famous words:
As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross my interest in all the attractive things of the world was killed long ago, and the world's interest in me is also dead. It doesn't make any difference now whether we have been circumcised or not; what counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people.
My mind went to an old hymn we used to sing in church. It's called Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross, by Fanny Crosby. I sang that old hymn at the end of my morning devotional. So many churches today are chasing after the so-called prosperity gospel and the popularity that gathers around its music. I long so deeply for the old songs that really do minister to my soul. If you doubt the seriousness of sin, look to the cross. If you doubt God's love, look to the cross. If you are falling into a new-styled legalism, look to the cross. There is something about this hymn that is magnetic. The words never cease to amaze me. Sung with talent and realism, it reaches out and touches your heart and leaves a trace of gold to remember it by. There is nothing like the theologically correct old hymns. This is the music I hunger for. It is like sweet water for this sinner's thirsty soul.
