Boast in the Lord
Read the Text: 2 Corinthians 10
Memorize the Text:
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.
(2 Corinthians 7:10, CSB)
Consider the Text: 2 Corinthians 10:17
Boasting is a topic that many believers struggle with. We recognize that boasting about the self and one’s accomplishments comes across as prideful, and the Bible warns against it. Yet, simultaneously, the Bible speaks to the importance of boasting in the Lord. But what does the apostle Paul mean when he gives this declaration in 2 Corinthians 10?
DON’T BOAST IN THE FLESH
The apostle warns the church in Corinth to guard against the accomplishments of the self. Such boasting occurs when people desire for others to worship them and give them praise for their actions. This boasting cultivates the self above others and places the self on a pedestal as an idol. When one boasts about the self, they seek to make sure people know that life would not be more difficult without them.
Boasting in the self comes from the presence and influence of the flesh. The flesh feeds the ego with false hope, and boasting is the mechanism to receive praise and honor. The boasting of the self exists to cover one’s inadequacies from others and make them believe that one is more significant than reality. The boasting in the flesh is sinful because it flows from a heart of idolatry.
BOAST IN THE LORD
The apostle did not state that all forms of boasting are sinful. Instead, he declared that it should be in the Lord when one boasts. This means that the focus of one’s intention is to speak to the greatness of the Lord. The believer desires to point to the work in one’s life that the Lord has opened the avenue for and empowered them to accomplish. The focus of such rhetoric is on the Lord and never the self.
Likewise, when one boasts in the Lord, they seek to illuminate Christ in a darkened world. Speaking to the greatness of Christ shares with people how the Lord changes the hearts of the sinner and offers eternal life to the lost. At the same time, the person speaking reflects that everything they do and everything they are is possible because of the Lord alone. Thus, boasting about the Lord allows people to see Him as the Lord of one’s life and for the greatness of who He is.
When you think about all the Lord has allowed you to be accomplished, how do you communicate it with others? Are you placing the self as the hero and center of the story and attempting to boast in the self? Are you elevating the Lord, giving Him all the credit, and allowing others to see His greatness? How are you boasting?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
