What are we boasting in today? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my mind and heart in Philippians 3:3-4,

"It is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit,
who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—
though I myself have reasons for such confidence."

Paul boasted. He boasted in Christ Jesus, he looked forward to
boasting when Jesus Christ returns in the investment he made in the
Philippian church, that his work was not in vain.

At times boasting is precluded in the Scriptures. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5
we read, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last
days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful,
proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but
denying its power." Being boastful, as listed here, is a trait of the
wicked in the last days.

James points to the object of boasting as that which makes it evil,
"As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is
evil." James 4:16. In his condemnation of the Corinthian schisms Paul
told them, "So then, no more boasting about human leaders!" 1
Corinthians 3:21.

What we learn is that not all boasting is bad. Some boasting is good -
it depends on the object of the boast. The boasts Paul engaged in
pointed to the person of Jesus Christ. So wonderful was Jesus Christ
to Paul when he wrote this letter, whatever he could do in
collaboration with the Lord in the lives of these Philippian believers
was cause for boasting as well. We see this also in 1 Corinthians
1:13-14, "And I hope that, as you have understood us in part, you will
come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will
boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus."

Other places Paul mentions his boasting includes verses as: Romans 5:2
and 11, "We boast in the hope of the glory of God...", "Not only is
this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation." In quoting Jeremiah
9:24 Paul says, "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness,
holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who
boasts boast in the Lord.'" 1 Corinthians 1:30-31. In 2 Corinthians
11:30 Paul says, "If I must boast, I will boast of the things that
show my weakness." He tells us why in the following chapter, 12:9-10,
"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so
that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I
delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in
difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Paul's weakness
became the canvas upon which Jesus Christ manifested his own strength,
providing Paul opportunity to boast all the more in his Lord.

The reality is we all boast and we do so often. We boast of how well
our children or grandchildren are doing, we might boast of our
spouse's wonderful qualities, of our work place, our favorite sports
teams, or our entertainers or politicians (or lack thereof!) or
whatever.

What we boast in speaks to what wells up within our hearts. What we
boast in points others to what we find as important and meaningful to
us. The question I have of myself this morning is what is it I will
boast in today? How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com