Boasting

A scripture on my heart his morning comes from 1 Corinthians. It is verses 26-31:


"Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 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. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”


Have you ever compared yourself to someone else? It seems competition is all around us. We can see where someone is currently in life and think we could never be as successful or as cool as they are. On the opposite side of that is we can see someone who has a life in shambles and an absolute wreck and immediately deem them as a hopeless cause. It occurred to me this week that some of my closest friends and greatest sources of encouragement are people who were once drug addicts and gang members. I wonder how many times people who knew them then considered them as worthless. Yet, I know from each of their stories that they each had somoene who never gave up on them. They each had people who showed the love of Christ to them and never stopped telling them that God had a call on their life.

For thousands of years, the greatest people of faith have been those who were the least chosen by man. Those who have been foolish. Those who have committed crimes. Those who have lived lives in total rebellion to God. And yet, once God became real to them, they were transformed into people who were willing to be used greatly by God. You see, if you have been crazy for the things of this world, you are accustomed to being judged. You develop a thick skin against what people think or say about you. God can use that same stubborness to bring glory to His name! God uses those with no influence to speak wisdom into the lives of many. Oftentimes the greatest influences in our lives can be people who think they are not influencing anyone.


Do you feel too weak? Maybe you have made choices in your life that now cause you to feel shame. Don't ever, ever, ever let anyone tell you that you are too messed up to be used by God! According to scripture, it is those who are judged unhealthy and messed up by the world that God PREFERS! It is by His amazing grace that lives like this are transformed into something beautiful. For those of us who are in relationship with Christ, it is also critical that we never forget where we were when God found us. We should never look down on where someone is currently in their life because you could be looking at someone who could be used greatly by God. The reason God chooses those who have a "twisted" past is because everyone who knows that person knows it could ONLY be God that could bring about the changes they see in that person. Anything I am today can only be accredited to God's amazing grace and love. It is through nothing I have done in my own strength that has brought me to where I am today.

If you boast in ANYTHING, boast in Jesus.