Christian friends, something that struck me as frustrating: why is it we don’t “brag” on God? Think about it, your kids are in band, playing sports, getting good grades and so on so forth. Your excited about who and what they are playing and even proud that they are making it onto elite teams. All of this is great and sure, bragging on the kiddo’s is not only fun, it’s a right of parenthood for some.
Come to think about it, we “brag” or boast on a lot of random things; something our spouse did, something good at work, even a trick that are dog can do.
But…BUT… when do we ever brag about our God? I mean come on! Have you been that down and out person that your life has turned around because you found Him and developed a love and relationship with Him that you cannot possibly have with anyone else, that relationship being a total dependence on Him for your needs. Have you been sick and prayed to feel better and be healthy and it has happened? Have you ever prayed for some one else that needed to be healed or a need met and that prayer came true? What about just a daily reflection of life, reading the bible and talking to God? Doesn’t that usually make you feel better? I know it does for me.
So why not brag about God to our friends? Why keep Him in a box, selfishly for yourself and away from those you love? Are you afraid that bragging / boasting about God is wrong? Well what is wrong is: being boastful about all of the “man” side of things and giving men credit for the good things happening is sinful. We shouldn’t be bragging about what our coaches do for our games or our kids. We shouldn’t be boasting about the work we have accomplished. We accomplished this work because God has given us giftings and abilities to do the work.
I guess another way of looking at it would be that God hates human pride. Consider these scriptures:
(haughty defined: disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious)
Proverbs 6:16–17 says, “There are six things which the Lord hates, seven which are an abomination to him . . . ” and the first one mentioned is “haughty eyes.”
In Psalm 101:5 David speaks for God and says, “The man of haughty looks and arrogant heart I will not endure.”
Proverbs 16:5, “Every one who is arrogant is an abomination to the Lord.”
Isaiah 2:11, “The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the pride of men shall be humbled; and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”
Jeremiah 50:31, “Behold, I am against you, O proud one, says the Lord God of hosts; for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.”
Jesus said in Luke 16:15, “What is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”
And in Acts 12:23 it says that an angel of the Lord struck Herod so that he was eaten with worms and died because when he received applause from the people, he did not give God the glory but took it for himself.
Obviously from reading these scriptures God has an issue with man being prideful / being boastful of self and the things man does in the flesh.
But, read these:
• He loves the heart that boasts in the Lord.
• He loves the heart that gives him credit for what he alone can do.
• He loves the heart that relies on his power.
• He loves the heart that wants him to get the glory in all things and that wants the power of his Son to shine in our weakness.
• We were made to boast in God.
• We were made to give him credit for all good.
• We were made to rely on his power.
• We were made to magnify his glory and his all sufficiency in our weakness.
So, I ask the question again – when is the last time you (we) boasted about our God?