Amanda BethSharing the Truths Behind the TRUTH

Feb 21st Monday’s Blog: Love Does Not BOAST

We are on our fourth week of studying what love is according to 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This week we are moving on to…love does not boast. This happens to be a popular saying in our household. Whenever one of my kids receives something special, or praise for doing good, they immediately run to tell their siblings. The siblings then get jealous and tell the one who is bragging not to boast. They usually then come running to my husband or me and squeal on the one who is boasting.

It’s hard not to boast. When we’re excited about something, we want to run and tell everyone. But just like with my kids, not everyone is going to share in our excitement. So does this mean we should never share anything good with anyone?

At one time, I made my mind up that I was not going to talk about anything that had to do with me when I was conversing with someone. This went okay for the first ten minutes, but when they’d ask about me, I’d give a quick reply and switch the conversation back to them. This made it uncomfortable for me and the one I was conversing with. I’d have to come up with a bunch of questions for them and they would have to focus on themselves by answering all my questions. This actually made me force people to boast about themselves.

It didn’t take long for me to learn that there has to be a balance and boasting is not completely wrong. 2 Corinthians 10:13 says, “We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you.”

Verses 17-18 say, “But, ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’ For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”

I learned that boasting about the things I produce by my own effort only leads to pride. Whereas, boasting about the things the Lord produces in and through me, that will benefit others, leads to glorifying and praising God. If no one ever shared how God has worked in their life, we would never be motivated to press on and take hold of all that God has for us. It blesses me to hear how God works in others, because I know that He has no favorites. If I hear that He is working in your life, then I know He will work in mine. This kind of boasting stirs people’s faith. The other kind of boasting stirs nothing but our own pride.

This doesn’t mean we share with everyone everything God does for us. The Apostle Paul set an example for us to learn the proper limits of boasting. In 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 he stated, “I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise. He heard inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell. I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.”

Paul boasted in others and only things in himself that would benefit others. Even though he could boast about all the marvelous revelations he received from God, and be telling the truth, he still chose to refrain himself so that people wouldn’t think higher of him than they ought.

Not everyone wants to hear about all the good God is doing in our lives. We need to be sensitive to those we are conversing with and know when to refrain ourselves when we’re around those who don’t want to hear it.

When God called me to step out and write my first book on marriage, I was so excited that I wanted to tell everyone. I quickly found out that everyone wouldn’t share my excitement. This only brought me down and did nothing to help others.

A friend told me recently that God warns us about sharing our visions with everyone. It only hurts us and feeds other people’s envy and jealousy, as we can learn from the story of Joseph. He didn’t act wisely by sharing his dream with his brothers and father in Genesis 37, even though his heart was right and he was telling the truth.

2 Corinthians 11:30 says, “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” Instead of sharing only the good God was doing in my life, I should’ve shared all the attacks and testing that came along with the great blessing. I should’ve shared how many times I fell and wanted to give up during that time. I should’ve shared how my marriage was tested to the point where I felt I was completely unqualified to teach anyone anything about marriage.

When we share our weaknesses and trials along with our blessings, it helps others relate because no one walks through life continually blessed and free of trials. When we only share our good, it makes others wonder what they’re doing wrong. Our weaknesses help others to know that they are not alone. I learn the most from those who share their struggles and how God worked in those struggles.

Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill; let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power; let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

But let him who glories glory in this: that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character], that I am the Lord, Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 (AMP)

Let us not bring glory to ourselves. Let us boast about the things of the Lord that will benefit others and bring glory to God!

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**Something to think about this week**

I read a blog recently on love by LynnMarie Earl at “Realm Ministries.” She encouraged others to pray 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and substitute their name in place of love. I thought that would be a great thing to do this week, confessing that we are patient, we are kind, we do not envy, we do not boast, we are not proud, we are not rude…. We can carry this verse to help us stay focused on loving others, while reminding ourselves that we have all these fruits in us through Jesus.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

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**Have a very blessed week and come back next Monday as I share more of God’s Truths and the reasons behind the Truths.

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All Bible verses are taken from the NIV, unless otherwise noted.