September 27, 2024

Passage Read: Romans 14-15
Meditation Verses: 15:17-19

Thought

Paul has cause to boast in Christ, and it is what Christ has accomplished through him, in particular resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, and the miraculous signs and wonders through the Holy Spirit, so that he has fully preached the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum. So to the degree that we serve Jesus Christ and proclaim His Gospel and disciple people to walk in obedience to Christ, and to the degree that He manifests His power through us, to this degree we can boast in Christ! As Jeremiah recorded, "Let him who boasts boast in that he understands and knows the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth." To the degree that one knows and loves Jesus Christ and understands and serves His purposes, to that degree he can boast in the Lord.

Application

We can not all boast in Christ to the same degree. There are those who truly know Him better, and the rest of us need to learn from and honor them. But it is not head knowledge that a man can boast about, but proclaiming the Gospel to more and more people, and training them to walk in Christ's ways, and the miraculous power and wonders wrought through him. The kingdom is a matter of power, not just of signs and wonders but of the gospel preached to people who haven't yet heard and souls saved and lives conformed to the likeness of Christ. To be part of that, to be given over to accomplishing God's purposes, and to be granted fruit, these are things I can boast about, to the degree that I involve myself in them. These are the marks of understanding and knowing Christ.