Don’t Boast

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December 23, 2015 7:43 AM

‘Because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am.’

'Don't Look Back'

Memory Verse: 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says:

If you’ve been blessed with success, read these words from Paul and take them to heart: ‘Because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am.’

Every good thing you have right now, plus every good thing you’ll enjoy in the future, comes from God. Try never to forget that! You say, ‘Wait a minute, I worked hard for this. Don’t I deserve a little credit?’.

READ: Godly parents, Godly children

Yes, you do; the Bible says, ‘Give honour and respect to all those to whom it is due’ (Romans 13:7 TLB). But praise by its very nature can be intoxicating. The human body is a remarkable piece of chemistry; pat a man or woman on the back – and their head starts to swell! Someone said ‘Praise is like perfume; if you consume it, it’ll kill you!’

That’s why Paul gives us this timely reminder: ‘Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing?’ (1 Corinthians 4:7 MSG). One day King Nebuchadnezzar’s head got too big for his hat, and he boasted, ‘Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built’ (Daniel 4:30 NLT).

But God interrupted his proud moment and stripped him of his kingdom, and he ended up losing his mind and living like a wild beast. Only when he repented and acknowledged that God was the ruler over everything, did God restore his sanity and his kingdom.

Corrected, humbled, and enlightened, he knelt down and prayed, ‘I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes towards heaven, and my sanity was restored’ (v. 34 NIV 2011 Edition). Boasting is a form of insanity – don’t do it!

Bible in a Year: Zech 1-2; Rev 15

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