“For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.” (2 Corinthians 1:12-14 ESV
The apostle Paul had just finished speaking to the church in Corinth regarding the necessity of us encouraging one another in our sufferings with the comfort (encouragement, urging) we received from the Lord when we were suffering in like manner as others are now suffering for the sake of their faith in Jesus Christ, and for the sake of the gospel. And then he spoke of some of his own (and Timothy’s) sufferings for the sake of the gospel – which was to make them rely on God, and not on themselves – and he spoke to the church of the necessity that we pray for one another, too.
Now, when we are being mistreated, as they were mistreated, and we are suffering for the sake of the gospel, we may be being faced with much opposition to what we are sharing with others with regard to the subjects of faith and salvation and forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. And we may have many within the gatherings of “the church” (or the false church) who oppose us, because so many people today are buying into an altered gospel message which does not teach the necessity of dying with Christ to sin and walking in obedience to his commands in holy living.
And so we may have many more people ignoring, chiding, rebuking, rejecting, attacking, and casting us aside and falsely accusing us of wrongdoing than we have encouragers and those who support us in what we are doing for the Lord in the way of following his calling upon our lives in ministry. And so it can get discouraging and disheartening, at times, as Paul and Timothy faced, as well. For we are human beings, and we live in flesh bodies, and so we hurt, and we bleed, and we feel the pain of being rejected and of being treated as though we don’t matter.
And this is when Satan comes along with his attacks against us, when we are weak, and we are hurting, and we are lacking in physical and mental strength and endurance. And this is when we must refute the lies of the enemy coming against us which are intended to get us to give up and to quit and to run away because it hurts too much. And this is where we must speak truth against those lies, not out of pride, but in rebuttal of Satan’s accusations against us and to assure ourselves that we are in the right place doing the right thing with the right motivations and for the right purpose.
And that is what I believe was Paul’s purpose in what he said here, too. And from what I have read of Paul’s writings, which were under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was all the time giving God the glory for what the Lord was accomplishing in his life and through him. So a better word here than “boasting”, which has the connotation of pride in the English language, is the word “rejoicing,” which many of the commentators use, instead. For this was Paul’s and Timothy’s own testimony of their own consciences, that they behaved in the world with godly sincerity and not with worldly wisdom.
And then Paul gave credit to the Lord when he said, “but by the grace of God.” Amen! For if we are followers of Christ, doing his will, it is only by the grace of God and in the power and strength of the Lord that any of us can live godly and holy lives with good consciences and good behaviors which stem from godly sincerity and not from earthly wisdom. And this is why I must always give God the glory for anything good that he does in me and through me and for any praise that I receive. For I know that I can only do what I am doing in obedience to my Lord in the power of God and under this guidance and direction, and in his wisdom.
[Romans 15:11; Ephesians 1:5-6,12-14; Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 1:11; Hebrews 2:12; Hebrews 13:15-21; Revelation 19:5]
Give God the Glory
An Original Work / March 10, 2014
Based off Psalm 19
All of creation now proclaims:
“Give God the glory; honor His name!”
Each day the stars in heav’n above
Show forth His wisdom; tell of His love.
They do not speak. They have no voice.
Yet, they declare we have a choice:
“Worship the God of heav’n above;
Believe in Jesus; trust in His love.”
God’s word is perfect, just and good,
Refreshing souls who trust in the Lord;
Makes wise the simple; radiant -
Lighting our lives with God’s righteousness.
Joy to the heart His words now speak;
Pure and enduring, now we seek.
They are more precious than our gold;
Sweeter than honey; never grow old.
Keeping the word brings great reward.
By the word Jesus speaks and He warns,
Convicting hearts of all their sin;
Forgiving all who call upon Him.
Praying You keep me, Lord, from sins.
May they not rule my life again.
Then will I walk in all Your ways,
Following Jesus all of my days.
https://vimeo.com/88900305
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