READING: 2 Corinthians 6:14-10:18
There are so many things that we human beings like to boast about. Jobs. Wealth. Degrees. Homes. Success. Position. Power. Family. Awards. Recognitions. These things are not always bad in themselves, but they become problematic when we boast about them—when we want others to know about them so we might gain glory. Sometimes, even we Christians can subtly fall into this trap when we “praise the Lord” publicly while privately wanting others to know about something we’ve accomplished.
Here’s what the apostle Paul tells us, however: if we are to boast, we must boast in the Lord. He reminded us of that truth in 1 Corinthians 1:31, where he wrote to the Corinthians that God had chosen them by His grace, not because of their ability or achievements. In today’s reading, the apostle tells his readers that he wants no glory for himself (though God had indeed used him in his sphere of influence); rather, his boasting is solely in who Christ is, what He has done, and what He had accomplished through His people.
Why must we boast only in the Lord? Only he deserves the glory. He is the eternal one, the creator and the redeemer. Anything we have—beginning with life itself—is because of him. Anything we accomplish of eternal significance is because of Him—and it is His commendation that most matters. In the end, as one writer concluded, “Only those who seek after God and make it a priority to know and love him are approved by God. Only those who bring honor and praise to God, instead of themselves, are those people in whom God delights; and, in the end, only God’s approval counts.”*
PERSONAL REFLECTION: What do you boast in today?
DAILY PRAYER: “Father, let me boast in You alone this day.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 2 Corinthians 11:1-13:14, Acts 20:7-12