November 15, 2012 ~ No Boasting Allowed

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; 

an outsider, and not your own lips.

Proverbs 27:2

Thoughts ~ There are people that we have all met that brag, boast, and praise themselves so much we want to choke. Those are the people we often shy away from. We are human beings who have been created to praise God, not ourselves, even though we sometimes think we need the extra attention. But God clearly does not want us to go around talking about how great/giving/loving/helpful we are.

Sometimes exuberance and excitement can be mistaken for boasting. It happened to me recently when I was sharing how thrilled I was over the thousands of people who “liked” the Trust in the Lord page on Facebook. When I see the numbers growing, I know that many more people are being encouraged in their faith.  Some do not read the Bible at all and the scripture they see on the TITL page is sometimes all they see as they grow more mature in the Lord.

But this day, in sharing my excitement, my friend reacted in a cold manner towards me. I soon realized she does not want to hear about ‘Trust in the Lord’ (she does not use Facebook or cubits) and to her, I was boasting. I do not take any credit for the growth; it is all God directing people to the page. Yet, because I offended her, I decided not to share this with her anymore. Even when I did not mean it as praising myself, she took it that way. Sometimes we are misunderstood. And sometimes we really are boasting. We need to know the difference and watch our intentions. When we are likable  more people will listen to us share about our love for God.

Action ~ Ask yourself if you are boasting or praising yourself. I ask myself this often. It's kind of like a check system. I want to bring glory to the Lord, not to myself. And yet, of course I am human and I am thrilled how He uses my ministry. It's important to know the difference between boasting and being excited. So I have this little sign in my mind: When in doubt, close your mouth.

Pray ~ Lord, thanks so much for the wisdom of Proverbs and how You use it to make us wiser and more likable so we can draw people to you. Amen.

Trusting the Lord always,

Becky