| 1 Corinthians 13:4 – “Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up.” |
Herod sets a pretty good example as to one who thinks too highly of himself. He made a speech, and the people praised him as a god. Because Herod accepted that praise and did not give glory to God, an angel struck him, he was eaten by worms and died. It’s a gruesome example of how God does not condone self-pride.
Surely, all of us do some things better than others. We all have gifts and abilities that excel. The important thing to remember is that these gifts come from God. Without Him, we cannot even breathe.
If we want to please God, we will not boast in our wisdom, might or riches. That sort of boasting is only to make ourselves look better than others. ‘Look at me, look what I have, look how great I am.’ We want others to put us on a pedestal.
Is there anything that we CAN brag about? We can boast that we understand and know God, that He is the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness in the earth. When we tell others about our relationship with Christ, we are inviting them to know Him as well. We are offering them the biggest blessing they could ever receive. We want them to have what we have! Love is not boasting or arrogant, love is sharing what we have with others, most importantly sharing the Lord.
-Vicki Rance
