Boasting in the Lord

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.  II Corinthians 10: 17 – 18

Have you even been part of a conversation where two people are boasting about their illnesses or ailments or have you listened to people who have had bad experiences in a church? Their difficulties have almost become a badge of honour for them. Too often Christians enjoy boasting of their problems as if it makes them a better Christian.

Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians sounds rather like this as he lists all his difficulties (11: 21 - 28). In fact he was refuting the allegations made against him by some false teachers and self styled apostles who had infiltrated the church. They accused Paul of being weak, self serving, money grasping by pretending to offer his services for free whilst keeping the collection of money for the Jerusalem church to himself and being neither a speaker not a real apostle. Paul spends some time in II Corinthians chapters 10 – 13 on what appears to be a self promotion exercise. However its purpose was not to exalt himself as evidenced by his embarrassment at having to do that (II Corinthians 11: 17 and 23) but to open the eyes of the Corinthian church to the fact that it had been infiltrated by false apostles.

The church was being led astray and Paul with great fatherly concern for them wants to bring them to the truth of Jesus Christ. In order to do this he has to refute the lies and put forward his credentials as a true apostle of the Lord.   However he concludes that despite all the hardships he had gone through for the sake of the Gospel and the wonderful visions of the third heaven, he had been given a thorn in his flesh to keep him ‘weak’ and dependent on God.  Paul boasts of his weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on him (13: 9). When Paul was weak, he was made strong (13:10).

As Christians let us, like Paul, boast not in our difficulties but in the strength of God in the midst of our difficulties. I so admire Christians who despite illness or problems speak only of what God is doing in their lives and of how wonderful a Saviour he is. Illness and difficulties are not a badge of honour – let us instead boast of Jesus Christ, his love, his faithfulness, his goodness, his kindness, his mercy and the strength he gives us in both the good times and the bad.