Tag: boast in the Lord
All boasting is ‘in the Lord’!
Scripture reading for July 6th: 1st Corinthians 1
Key Scriptures for over-comers: 1st Corinthians 1:26-31 “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things–and things that are not–to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God–that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written; “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.””
God loves to work with those men and women that the world looks at as weak and worthless. That’s because many of the ‘beautiful’ and ‘successful’ people of the world are so caught up by the world’s system and their own human pride that God can’t use them or get their attention! The world’s own boast of their wisdom, talent, strength, possessions, and position. But God’s ‘weak’ people boast in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus alone is their wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption! We owe it all to Him!
Observations for over-comers: Over-comers love Jesus Christ and boast of His goodness and blessing and thank Him for redeeming them. “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boast boast about this: that he knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Boasting in the Lord alone!
Scripture reading for August 11th: 2nd Corinthians 10
There was a small group of people in the Corinthian church that had criticized Paul and questioned his apostolic authority to minister there. They boasted about themselves and tore down Paul. In the last few chapters of his letter, Paul dealt with this group and explained his position and asked them to examine themselves!
Boasting can lead to jealousy and strife with others and self-deception in the one doing the boasting. Satan often inspires thoughts of pride and and self-commendation in order to cause strife. The world system operates on pride but in Christ we learn of His meekness and gentleness through the Holy Spirit. There is warfare in the arena of our thoughts as we learn to live like Christ.
“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5) We must choose to follow the Spirit of Christ and resist and demolish the worldly strongholds of pride and self-promotion.
Paul, himself, had boasted about the authority given him by Christ. He stated that he was not ashamed of that, for this authority was for building them up and not pulling them down. Paul had limits on his boasting. He would only boast concerning the field given him and Christ’s work there. His advice to boasters: ““Let him who boast boast in the Lord.” For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.”” (2nd Corinthians 10:17-18)