Glory in the Lord! - September 15th, 2011

For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.
But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

2 Corinthians 10:14-18

History and Context:

For a bit of history on 2 Corinthians refer to my post on September 1st. There is a long difficult history between Paul and the church in Corinth by this time.

The Text:
This passage comes at the end of Paul's defense of himself and his authority as an apostle. This is actually the fourth letter from Paul to the church in Corinth. There were a lot of difficulties in Corinth and a lot of things which Paul felt that he needed to correct. It is apparent through this passage that at least some of them did not take his correction well. Paul is reminding them that since he was the one that brought the Gospel to them he did have authority to correct them in the living out of that Gospel. Also that the authority did not come from himself but from Christ. It is his final sentence that I would like to focus on today: "But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord."

The Challenge:
Recognize God's hand in your life and give him the glory. It is only through Him that we achieve what we achieve, and it is only through Him that we have any authority or position. For this reason it makes no sense for us to boast in ourselves but instead we should boast in the Lord and what He has done in our lives.

The Prayer:
Thank you Lord for all you have done in my life! Let my life, my actions and my words, bring you glory! In Jesus' name, Amen!