A prayer to boast to the Lord
By: Laura Bailey
Bible Reading:
“Therefore, as it is written: “Leah, boasting, mostly those who boast” – 1 Corinthians 1:31 NIV
“Do you know how great I played tonight? I was the best on the team!”
“I scored the best score on the math test. I’m the smartest in my class!”
“I was chosen as a star student! I’m the best student in school!”
At first, it seems innocent that my daughters share their personal success. And my husband and I want to praise our girls for their well done work and celebrate their personal victory. Every night around the dinner table, we recommend sharing their day’s highs and lows, hoping they will celebrate and comfort each other with the events of the day.
We love to hear everything that pleases our kids. However, we began to notice the tendencies of girls who share our days. Instead of using the opportunity to emphasize something that they did well, enjoyed or happy, the past few nights have turned into a full-blown bragging session. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they not only spotlight their “wins” but also attracted attention to the “low” of others. My husband gave this advice in an attempt to crush this new practice of self-promotion. He then went on to expose himself to the well-played game and explain that while there is no problem with promoting the tests we have studied hard or being recognized for good behavior, we must share our success and refrain from criticizing others.
In his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul wrote to remind them that they should live as Christians. Corinthian Christians were engaged in actions that had clear love for the Lord, and that their salvation was safe and that they needed to deal with. And Paul writes this letter to encourage and command him to acknowledge his disobedience to God’s law and to change the way they live. The first thing Paul deals with is to discuss the division of the church and which leaders should follow. Paul reminds them of the gospel message. They are now united as a body through Christ, and are called unity.
Church leaders are essential, but we are not called to follow a particular leader, rather to follow Christ. It is not man, but Christ, who has the power to save them or provide tone sin against their sin. In light of this, no one has the right to brag because no one belongs to our success stories, not to us, but to ours. Only God should gain the trust of all the good we do. Paul is our important poem, in verse 1 of Corinthians 1:31, reflects the emotions found in Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NIV). “This is what the Lord says.
Paul reminds us that everything we have comes from the Lord. Therefore, the spotlight does not shine on us, but it illuminates what God has done through us. It’s not about what we’ve done in this life, but about what Christ did on our behalf. We can boast about the grace, mercy and love that Christ has given us on our behalf through His salvation work on the cross. We give all the glory and honor that is what is right for us, God alone.
It’s good to invite others to our celebration, as we reminded the girls. Take care of the people we are trying to promote, ourselves, or those who deserve real trust.
Let’s pray:
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for loving us. Even when we are short, your love is abundant, your mercy is updated every morning, your grace is abundant. We ask that you forgive us when we follow your own wisdom and place our dedication in a proud and dedicated manner. We must convict our hearts and humble us, we must never forget that you are the creator and we are created.
Help others turn to Christ through the way you bless us, our strengths, and our service. May everything we do bring glory and honor only to your name. Help us make more of us about us and about you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Photo credit: ©Unsplash/Iyan Kurnia
Laura Bailey is an author and biblical teacher who encourages women to understand what they believe, why it matters, and how to apply biblical truths to their lives. Her recent book, embracing eternity here and now, explores how the timeless truths of the Church can help us today live a more peaceful, purposeful and abundant life.
She lives in northern South Carolina with her husband and three young girls. She is the director of the Ministry of Women at her church. Her passion is to teach the Bible to women and equip them to live in an eternal perspective. Invite Laura to speak at the next event or learn more: www.laurarabailey.com Connect via Facebook and Instagram.
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