2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NLT)
17 As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast
only about the Lord.” 18 When people commend themselves, it doesn’t count for
much. The important thing is for the Lord to commend them.
The world tells us we should sing our own praises so that
others will notice us and acknowledge the work we have done. God tells us if we
do His work and boast of Him then He will commend us for what we have done in
His name.
In his book Pursuing Justice, Ken Wystma tells the
following story about an African Christian leader who has spent the last 15
years helping some of the most vulnerable people in the world. Wytsma writes:
He was born and raised in what is one of the most war-torn
regions on the globe today—eastern Congo. His life is regularly threatened, and
he faces the seemingly impossible task of trying to restore villages decimated
by rape, murder, and plunder.
Some visiting executives from a large, well-known global relief
organization once toured the region. They noticed what an effective job my
friend was doing, and offered him a position as the leader of their Congo
operations. He quickly turned them down.
On paper it was the kind of offer you can't refuse—higher
pay, more security, great influence. A dream promotion for most Westerners. But
he refused for a simple reason. He said,
God gave me the job I have, he's helped me build the
relationships and the respect that I have. He has opened the door for me all
these years and kept me safe on every trip out into the bush. I'm right where
God has called me to be, so why would I go anywhere else? I don't just want to
do good. I want to be where God wants me to be.
[Ken Wytsma, Pursuing Justice (Thomas Nelson, 2013), pp. 161-162]
Our greatest praises come from God who loves us. God has
a purpose for each and every one of us and He praises us as we fill that
purpose. Ask God to direct and lead you in your daily life.
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