Over the last few months I have learned that the second greatest sin in my son’s teenage world is to “boost” (here’s the first great sin). There may not be anything worse than to be known as someone who “boosts”. If you’re like me you’re thinking, “I have no idea what those words mean.” To “boost” is to exaggerate your exploits. There are certain guys who boost about their lift or their forty time or the girls they talk to. The thing is, everyone knows the truth so they get called out and branded as a “booster”.
It turns out that the Bible talks about boosting. No really. In the Scripture it’s called “humility.” Humility is best understood as a right understanding of yourself. To be humble is to know who you really are before God.
Some people have in their mind that humility is the person who walks around saying things like, “I’m such a sinner,” or “I’m the worst of the worst, man I’m terrible,” or “I’m not worth anything.” Here’s the crazy thing, for the Christian, saying those kinds of things are actually pride. Pride is the opposite of humility. Pride is an incorrect view of oneself before God. Many people think that pride is just thinking too highly of oneself. But that’s not really it. It includes thinking too lowly of oneself too.
In Colossians 3 Paul says,
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
As we seek to follow Jesus we have to keep putting on humility. Every day we wake up and every day we put it on. Who are we before God? We are chosen, holy, and beloved. This is who we are. Do the followers of Jesus sin? Yes. That’s why we confess and repent. Are the followers of Jesus perfect? No. That’s why we confess and repent. Are we great? Not really, but our God is and he loves us.
Humility, true humility is living into this one reality: You are chosen, you are holy, and you are loved.
from The Subversive Journey http://danielmrose.com/2016/08/24/you-boost-so-hard/
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