2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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WORLDLY OR GODLY BOASTING?
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
2 Corinthians 10:12-18
Jeremiah 9:23-24
“But he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.”
WORLDLY OR GODLY BOASTING?
In our last devotion, we saw how the accusers of Paul set themselves as the standards by which other men should be judged. By doing so, they elevated themselves on a pedestal to gain the admiration of other men. Instead of promoting the glory of God, they upheld their own name. Such boasting is no different from that of the world and is condemned by the Lord. Do not the people of the world often pat themselves on the back with their self-designed accolades and awards? But all these self-praises will in the end amount to nothing as the world passes away.
Sadly, many churches have gone the way of the world and have engaged themselves in worldly boasting. Focusing on the carnal, they pride themselves in their numbers and diversities of ministries, forgetting that it is faithfulness to the Word of God that counts. They laud themselves as mega churches, yet the Lord is displeased with their vain show and empty boastings.
On the other hand, Scripture speaks of a right type of boasting that all Christians should be involved in. “But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (2 Cor 10:17). Such boasting involves an acknowledgement that we are nothing before the Lord, and that all success is only possible with Christ’s help. “Here … it means – to place our glory at the disposal of God alone, and reckon every thing else as of no value. For while some are dependent on the estimation of men, and weigh themselves in the false balance of public opinion, and others are deceived by their own arrogance, Paul exhorts us to be emulous of this glow — that we may please the Lord, by whose judgment we all stand or fall” (Calvin).
As we serve the Lord, let us be wary of how easy it is for us to seek out our own glory. In our subtle ways, we may be trying to declare that a particular ministry or work is successful because of our efforts, and set ourselves in the high estimation of men. Let Christ’s name alone be magnified.
THOUGHT: Seek great things for myself? Seek them not.
PRAYER: Father, may my sole ambition in life be to glory in Christ.