Focus on Christ

"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." (2 Corinthians 10:17-18)

Nothing we do is of our own accord. Any talents or gifts we use is to the benefit of God's glory.

We do not seek the approval of others as the world does, but we look towards our higher calling. When we come together for God's glory, we are to be as a choir that unites our voices in harmony, and not try to outshine the other. When we look beyond simply seeking attention, we will realize that it is the one sitting on the throne whom we are most trying to impress. One that is ultimately doing work as assigned by the Father should not care about others have to say about him or her, but will consider themselves approved in God's eyes. 

"We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field God has assigned to us..."

In verse 12, Paul says that to compare ourselves to others is "not wise..." 

So ultimately when we boast as to esteem ourselves higher in other people's eyes, we miss the bigger picture. We don't hold back when we boast of Christ’s love and the work we do to further the movement. When one thinks of what it means to boast, it is usually thought of as bringing glory to oneself, but in this context, Paul talks about boasting as something to be done to bring glory and honour to God. We sing from our hearts of his undying love for us, not because we are looking for an audience. We speak words that come from the Father, words that may often be of correction and reform, not to please those that sit in the pews. 

Let us keep this in mind as we go about our work for Christ. 

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