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. I Corinthians 13:4-7
Entering week four of the love series, we look at another enemy of love -boasting. According to the dictionary, one definition of boasting is speaking with exaggeration or excessive pride about oneself or possessions.
In our American society, we are valued based on what we have materially. There is constant pressure to measure up - even Christians fall victim to this vicious cycle. The consequence of living in a materialistic society is over extension of our finances. Look at the current mortgage crisis which can be summed up as people buying more house than they can afford. Credit card debt is at insurmountable levels - another symptom of our excessive desire to acquire possessions at any cost.
Don't be drawn in by this! God measures us by who we are in Christ and not by what we have. If we are to boast, as Paul declares, let us boast in the Lord, because it is not the one who approves himself that is approved, but the one who the Lord commends (2 Corinthians 10:17,18).
I encourage you this week to evaluate your source of pride or boasting. Pride is the destructive root of boasting. Are you proud of your education, physical fitness, title, position within your organization, financial status, home, car, associations? You fill in the blank...only you know what causes you to swell with pride at even the mention of it. When you're full of this emotional high, do you find yourself talking about it to others?...that's boasting.
Boasting can hinder your love walk with God and with others. When you receive the revelation on your boasting, don't walk in condemnation, walk in love!
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