Romans Part 6: RESPONSESample

Boast in the Lord

Have you ever been proud of something you were involved in? Of course, we all have. Sinful pride is obvious and we all participate in being subtle and not-so-subtle with different degrees of self-promotion. Just this past week I witnessed an example of godly pride filled with humility.

I ran into an old friend that I hadn’t seen in years. He told me how God worked through a serious medical emergency that went unchecked. According to the doctors, it would have resulted in his death. He even had a photo of the MRI to prove it. With his face full of emotion, his story was all about how God physically saved his life and I rejoiced with him.

Similarly, the apostle Paul writes to the Roman church about the work God is doing through him in evangelizing the Gentiles. Paul accepted his calling of being God’s vessel to preach the good news of Christ to the non-Jews and was” proud” of what God was doing through him in Christ. When we examine ourselves and we see something that can only be explained by God’s Spirit working in us, it humbles us and that’s something to be proud of. Through that humbling we draw nearer to Christ, therefore, our being in Christ will become more evident. So, when you boast, boast that you are in Christ.

-Eddie Hoekstra