Scripture to Read: Romans 15:17–19
As we saw in yesterday’s devotion, God had Paul remind us how He had called Paul “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles” (Romans 15:16). As God led Paul to continue, we read in Romans 15:17, “Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.” God has called us to do the same, for we also have nothing to boast about except what Christ has done in us, for us, and what He’s doing through us. If we’re not careful, we can rob God of the glory that is for Him alone if we think we have something within ourselves to boast about. But God used Paul to remind us that our boasting should only be geared to those things “pertaining to God.” Regarding boasting, God led Paul to write this in Galatians 6:14, “But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” God had Paul continue in Romans 15:18–19, “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit.” Our lives are built on this same foundation, knowing everything that has been accomplished through us has been done by our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit in us, for apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5).
Challenge & Application
· How are you guarding against boasting about your life and ensuring God gets all the glory for all that’s done through you?
· How can you help other believers who struggle with boasting to humble themselves and recognize God’s work through them?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!