What Are You Boasting About?

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Scripture:

Gal. 6:14 May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16 As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Observation:

Paul could have boasted about many things in his own life. He was highly educated, very successful and driven in all that he had done. It was his deeply personal encounter with Jesus Christ that changed everything. When he experienced the deep love of Christ he was completely transformed and the things he used to boast about no longer brought significance to his life. 

Application:

In the era of social media it’s easy to get caught up into discussions and posts which may be used to elevate our own sense of accomplishment. Before long we can get drawn into believing that what we are accomplishing is as a result of our own skills and abilities. Paul had been an amazingly skilled persecutor of Christians. He used to boast that he had a great ability to make people suffer because they refused to accept that circumcision was everything! The transformation in his life was astounding as he came to embrace Jesus Christ! 

There was nothing left to boast about, but his relationship with Christ. Everything in the past, the things that he thought were important, the prestige, the attention, the affirmation from others — it now meant nothing. All of this had now been crucified and held no value in light of knowing Jesus Christ. 

The temptation for us all is to find our sense of worth in our accomplishments. The reality is that there are not enough things that we can do in this world that can fill us with what Christ has to offer. There is nothing worth boasting about, except for Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. 

Prayer:


Lord, I am so grateful for the deep settled peace that you bring into my life. May I joyfully boast in you, and not in myself. Amen. 

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