Boasting

 

I dislike a great many things in this world, but when in comes to human character I think I despise nothing quite like pride, arrogance, pompousness, pretentiousness and the like. As I am writing that I am reminded of the words of the Baal Shem Tov, “He would not have been given the opportunity to note his comrade’s offense if he had not been unconsciously guilty to some degree of the same offense.” Maybe it is because I despise my own pride so much that I find it intolerable in others. Be that as it may, I hate it.

I can’t speak for other people and how they acquire their pride, but I do know myself pretty well. Awareness of my own effort, awareness of my own accomplishment combined with an overestimation of said success, because let’s face it I am very generous when it comes to self-evaluation, is a sure recipe for pride. Just like false humility, a downsizing of an effort in the eyes of others so they might see how humble I am and thus ensuring some praise. The saddest part is that sometimes I don’t even realise I’m being prideful until after the fact. I hate it. I wait for the new heavens and new earth for that reason and more. Oh, to have clean eyes to evaluate things as they are without any hidden motive!

When it comes to salvation, I think God in His infinite wisdom and grace, made it available through faith and faith alone, precisely because that was the only way to rob our flesh of its reason to boast. “Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Our Maker knows us well. He knows we want to boast. But we sell ourselves short. We boast in the wrong things. My wisdom can be taken away with one good hit to the head, my might can be taken away with a slip of my foot, my riches (such as they are) can be take away in a split second. Nothing that I can do, say, or think is reason to boast. “For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

This is why I see the ‘works versus faith’ argument as ridiculous. Are you saying we shouldn’t do good?! I am saying that you can’t even control the flow of blood in the arm you lift to do your good work with. I am saying that unless at this very moment, The God that calls the stars by name (Psalm 147:4) would consciously and purposefully will your blood pressure to be just right, you’d be a blathering mess that couldn’t even wipe your own nose. What can you do? Of your own initiative, independent of the grace that sustains you? NOTHING. But you’ll say, “yes, but it’s up to us to be obedient, to live holy lives.” Let’s knock that notion in the head once and for all.

Jesus, during His earthly ministry, went around asking people all these impossible things, such as telling a leper, “Be clean” (Luke 5:13), to a paralytic “rise, take up your bed and walk” (Mark 2:9), to a young dead man “I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14), to a sinner, “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). None of them were commanded to do any of those things in their own strength. You cannot be holy in your own strength any more than a paralytic can jump up, or a dead man resurrect himself. The fact that He has authority over your weakness, and He commands it makes all the difference. You’re no different than Peter, a seasoned fisherman, that caught nothing all night. “And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5) If He asks me to rise, I’ll rise because He can make me stand. If He asks me to stop sinning, I’ll stop sinning because He can make me holy and pure. I believe in the One that asks it of me that He can make it happen in me. “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) Every day I must believe He will give me grace to resist temptation, to believe He will help me be gracious instead of mean, to believe He can help me deny my own desires in favour of His will. Every day I must believe I’m growing even though I don’t see it. I can’t do anything of myself. It’s all “from him and through him and to him” (Romans 11:36)

“Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.” (Romans 3:27)

 by Cristina Pop

Wings

 

Sometimes it’s so easy to wish to be somewhere else, anywhere else but where you find yourself in that precise moment. Like a naïve child you close your eyes shut, even squeeze them tight, with a mantra on your mind of, ‘make it stop, please make it stop’, only to open your eyes to the same reality. You end up echoing David’s words, “And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah.” (Psalm 55:6-7)

That’s a decisive place to be. Vacillating between fight or flight. It’s a choice you make in a matter of seconds. The enemy will use all the smoke and mirrors at his disposal to present the situation like the end. And you’ll fall for it more times you’ll care to admit. But this is where you either grow or mutate. Grow enough that the enemy will have to up his game next round. Or mutate. Into what? A mixture of longing and bitterness sprinkled with moments of loyalty, where you’ll even believe that you’re alright, only to fall back in the vortex. Never fully at peace, never fully a deserter.

You might choose flight. I have. Many times. Everybody’s flight looks different. In Hebrew, verse 6 of Psalm 55 is literally, ‘who will give me wings’. My answer to that question often is, ‘The Lord helps those that help themselves. If nobody will give me wings, I’ll just make some for myself!’ My wings are made of distractions. It hurts - I’ll watch a debate. It hurts – I’ll enter some inane argument about the 4 horses in Revelation. It hurts – I’ll fight with someone for their heretical views. It hurts – I’ll read and forget, I’ll dream myself away, anything, anything but be here. He promised to get me into a good land, with milk and honey and unicorns and rainbows and here I am before a raging sea and an army at my back! What kind of plan is this?! – Shameful, I know. The worst part is that if I allow myself to get into that mindset, I grow all sorts of bits that need pruning, and in His eternal mercy and grace, He still works on me.

Having said all that, there’s always the option to stay and fight. Everything inside you will rebel at the thought. You’re aware there’s nothing to fight with. You’re drained just by acknowledging that the situation is upon you, let alone tackle it in any constructive way. But you believe and you hope that if you stay right in the eye of the storm, The One that brought you here, will make a way. I’m not gonna lie, this option is the most painful way. To sit there and take every punch and all you have is promises, will make you feel like the biggest loser ever. But I can tell you this, the punches won’t kill you and if you stand your ground, trusting The One that made you those promises, you’ll see the beauty of God coming through for you. All you need to see is ONE bear killed, ONE lion’s jaw torn apart to make you unmoved in your conviction that, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”  (1 Samuel 17:37) God doesn’t allow the bear to attack you because He wants to destroy you, but because He’s preparing you to face giants with a slingshot and not be afraid. He doesn’t let you to sleep out in the field, guarding the sheep because He doesn’t want you to enjoy comfort, but because He’s teaching you how to survive in the wild when you’ll be running for your life from a Saul or Achish or even an Absalom.

I know it would be nice to know the exact purpose for your present pain, but not knowing is part of the blessing. It’s your opportunity to go against your nature and trust. Against all hope, against all common sense. He never lied and He won’t start with you. Just hang in there and command your soul to stop shaking. This too will pass. And at the end of this, there’s The Lord. Be strong and courageous!

 

by Cristina Pop