v. 16 – they are loud mouthed boasters,

Devotional:

To boast is to verbally bring attention to something you have or have done for your own self-satisfaction. To be a loudmouth is to make sure that you’ve said it enough times and, in enough ways, to be sure you are heard. Being a loud-mouthed boaster is a sure-fire way to choke out healthy relationships and lose the perspective of a God-honoring worldview. We live in a world where we are almost shamed into believing we have to assert ourselves if we want to be noticed, and we have to be loud on social media and garner a following in order to have influence. We are constantly being fed the false narrative that attention is the same thing as significance.

The call of Jesus is the exact opposite in every way. He calls us to blessed self-forgetfulness, not to the pursuit of self-seeking attention. Jesus says, “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) not blessed is the one who has the most fans or likes. Meek does not mean weak. Meekness is bridled strength; think of a purebred stallion with a bit in its mouth that is strong but under control. The horse is powerful but not reckless. We should be wary of the self-aggrandizing loudmouths of this world because the louder someone is on behalf of themselves or their opinion the more likely there is a deep hurt below the surface which may cause a spirit of division.

Many times in my life I have traded being faithful to God for being noticed by people. I have been quick to share my opinion and slow to listen to others. I can only think of 1 or 2 times in my life when I have regretted not saying something I thought. I can think of 10,000 times when I have regretted saying what
I thought. It is ever tempting to want to put yourself forward for a quick affirmation or to tell a story in which you are the central character. I have found, though, that the end result of boasting in any form, whether by being loud-mouthed or by a more subtle means, provides a brief moment of satisfaction that is quickly followed by the return of a deeper longing. No matter how much affirmation is given toward our efforts of self- exaltation in a physical or digital world, it can never be enough to fill our soul’s empty spaces.

Paul writes, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Galatians 6:14).

I offer Paul’s words as a prayer for us and as a guide to our words. We will never regret making the cross of Jesus Christ the centerpiece of our conversations with God or with each other. The best way for us to walk in blessed self-forgetfulness is to willfully and verbally make much of Jesus Christ and His cross. In doing so we nail ourselves to that cross for the freedom of death to self. To be dead to this world and for this world to be dead to us is to be truly free, fully alive, and able to see there is only One name worth boasting and it is the name by which all people under heaven can be saved.

REFLECTION:

When was the last time you felt tempted to seek attention or boast of your accomplishments? What is the deeper longing that was being neglected? In what way can you make Jesus the centerpiece of your conversations and efforts today?