Boasting in Christ. When does bragging on what God has given you become boasting. This concept has come up between my husband and me in one of our talks in the car. We often have these when we are going to church or even just driving into town. We talk about the podcast that we just recently listened to or the books that one of us our reading. I absolutely love this. This subject of boasting came up while we were listening to one of the podcasts that we normally listen to on our way to church.
This guy was talking about how God had blessed him. He was referring to some material items. Justin made the comment that saying you are blessed for some things can seem like your are boasting. I can definitely see where he is coming from. A person can seem like they are boasting when talking about these items. Sometimes a person might be. The way something is said can definitely sound like boast or coming from the wrong heart. I think that people do need to hear testimonies about the process of going from nothing to something, though. I’ll explain my reasoning hear shortly.
As I was sitting here reading about a totally different subject, this conversation of boasting came to my mind. I’m reminded that we should boast in the Lord. First Corinthians 1:31 says Let those who boasts boast in the Lord.” There is so much that I am ignorant to in the scripture. But when I hear someone talk about their walk from point A to point B with the Lord, it encourages me. It enlightens me. Justin has taught me that everyone should be teachable. Someone will probably know how to do something better than I do. I need to be able to drop my pride and listen to them. To learn from them. We should do this with other likeminded people.
When others boast about how God has helped them in one way or another it gets people's attention. It gets them to listening to how they arrived with the Lord the way they did. It gives one person an open door to first asking another if they are saved. That’s the first and most important thing. Because this life is just a breath compared to where we will be for eternity after. After we help them understand salvation and they make that step, then we can help them in other areas. With our own testimony we can give them testimonies of how the Lord has direct us. Has brought us into much better in our life.
Blessed is who we are in Christ. We need to understand our identity in Christ. Saying we are blessed is great! Because we are. We are to dig deep. Find understanding in it. The word says to meditate on the word day and night (Joshua 1:8). When you think on something constantly it becomes engraved in you. If you think anything about yourself, even if it is not true, it becomes true to you. Then you will actually start acting on the way you believe about yourself. If we would think about the word, the actual living word, it will become who we are. It won’t just stay a thought or a word. We will start acting on it. Then when we act on it, the Lord has more freedom to act on our behalf. The more room he has to work in our life, I believe we will see more miracles in our life. Our hearts will be fully on God and that is enough reason to boast. Yes, when we put him first in our heart, I believe you will see the promises of God (the blessings) be uncovered in your life more and more.
The scripture says in Matthew 6:33 “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is talking about clothes and food. Pretty much everything that we need. God said he would provide. We just need to put him first. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This is talking about clothes and food. Pretty much everything that we need. God said he would provide. We just need to put him first.
To illiterate what I am trying to get to you in this whole passage is this. What is the boasting in the Lord? What does it do for the body of Christ? How does it magnify the Lord?
When boasting from a good heart, you point people to the one who is the supplier of everything you need in life. Boasting from a good heart means that you are not putting the spotlight on yourself. You are putting it on God. You are saying there is no way that this could have been done by me. Rather it be financial, healing or emotional breakthrough. This happened only because the Lord made a way. He put the right people in my path. He led me to the right people. He told me what to say. My own intellectual understanding could not have comprehended this outcome. There is no way I should have been able to be healed, but God. I have been praying for that relationship for years and there was not healing in sight, but God. There is no way I should have been able to make that payment, but God. Staying humble is the key. Walking every situation out in love is the key. Remembering that anything is possible WITH God is the key. These help us to stay in a good heart. Walking in the spirit, instead of reaching out in the flesh. Flesh causes worldly fleshly results. Walking in the spirit causes the impossible to come into our natural world here.
The body of Christ is put into motion the way it is called to be. One helps to encourage the other, because God directed the whole thing. He knows where we need to be. He knows who we need to be around. He knows what we need. We all are used in what I have always pictured as a roadway. A traffic signal operation. I’ll explain it briefly. Most of us, if of age, have driven through the middle of town and have come up to a red or green light. There is a reason that those are there. It is to keep the oncoming traffic from hitting you, or vice versa. It helps each of us respect the other when it is their turn. We help the other get to where they need to go safely when we go by what the rules are. Which in this case, is to stop when it shows red. Well, the body of Christ should act the same way. We magnify God when we stop when he says to stop. When he tells us to not say a word, there is a reason. Maybe it would hurt the other person. It would get you out of your love walk. If he says talk, he might be using you as a vessel to bless another person. In return if you say what He says, you will be blessed. You would have allowed the holy spirit to work through you. Allowed the power of God to pour over onto another person. When we boast in the Lord, with the right heart, we are being used as vessels for God. We are being used to magnify His name. Everyone is encouraged at this point, and God is lifted high. So, if we do boast, lets boast in what God can, has, and will do for each of us. Boasts in our identity in Him.
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