Love Is Not Boastful

Love is not boastful or vainglorious. The word boastful in the original language was: perpeREUomai (4068) Origin: Mid. deponent from PERperos, braggart. It means: 1. to speak with exaggeration and excessive pride, esp. about oneself. 2.to speak with pride (often fol. by of): He boasted of his family's wealth. –verb (used with object) 3.to speak of with excessive pride or vanity: He boasts himself a genius. 4.to be proud in the possession of: The town boasts a new school. –noun 5.a thing boasted of; a cause for pride: Talent is his boast. It is her boast that she has never betrayed a friend. 6.exaggerated or objectionable speech; bragging: empty boasts and threats.

Why is "NOT boasting" popping up relative to love? At first glance, even the definition has some pretty bad words in it, like pride, proud, excessive, and vanity. If anything, these words certainly describe someone who loves themself.

Being careful not to be boastful in helping us to understand "This Thing Called Love", I waited for the Spirit of Love to rise up within me and give me the right thing to say here.

First, I was given this verse to dwell on.

1 Corinthians 4:6 "In writing this much, brethren, with special reference to Apollos and myself, I have done so for your sakes, in order to teach you by our example what those words mean, which say, 'Nothing beyond what is written!' --so that you may cease to take sides in boastful rivalry, for one teacher against another."

Paul actually uses REVERSE BOASTING throughout his ministry. What I mean is, he boasts in the negative. This is something very important to you and I. Rather than walking close to the edge of the cliff of boasting, Paul puts himself FAR AWAY from this dangerous edge by bragging about his "weakness."

Second, Paul keeps only to the Word of God. We may never know what his "personal opinion" was because he knew it paled compared to the Word of God. "Nothing beyond what is written!"

Paul knew the truth, God's Word which also keeps us from boasting. On the flip side, our ignorance of the truth can result in pride, vanity, and boasting.

FOR EXAMPLE: Do you know that if God allowed him to (for whatever purpose He sees fitting) that Satan could pull down your house in an instant? So, why do you boast about your big strong home? It happens every day my friend.

Hidden within the parable Jesus tells us in Luke Chapt 12 is a picture of the futility and vanity of boasting about the blessings that truly come from, belong to, and are, ultimately under God's authority and power. See if you can hear it.

"16 Then He (Jesus) told them a parable, saying, The land of a rich man was fertile and yielded plentifully. 17 And he considered and debated within himself, What shall I do? I have no place [in which] to gather together my harvest. 18 And he said, I will do this: I will pull down my storehouses and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain or produce and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, [enough] for many years. Take your ease; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself merrily. 20 But God said to him, You fool! This very night they [the messengers of God] will demand your soul of you; and all the things that you have prepared, whose will they be? 21 So it is with the one who continues to lay up and hoard possessions for himself and is not rich [in his relation] to God [this is how he fares]" Luke 12:16-21.

Here is a picture of someone who clearly does not live as though God has anything to do with their blessings, how they should live, or even how long they will live. The point I am making here, really is, what do we have to boast about, knowing what we learned from God's Word.

In reality, I came into this world with nothing and I will leave the same way. The book of Solomon is a great boast-buster if you struggle with this problem.

The truth I've learned about myself is really sad, and the truth I've learned about God is awesome. How silly it feels to boast about anything.

More importantly though, is the harm boasting can be to those around me. Boasting is a disregard for the feelings of others. Concerning Love, this boasting reveals the true condition of our hearts.

James 3:5 "In the same way the tongue is an insignificant part of the body, but it is immensely boastful. Remember how a mere spark may set a vast forest in flames."

My wanting everyone to know that I received the promotion is inconsiderate of those who might have worked harder and longer than I did. For some, the extra money could have saved them from foreclosure, bankruptcy, and who knows what else. How painful was it for them to hear me boasting in myself. God knows and it hurts Him also.

Boasting reveals the heart of each of us. Keeping a proper, more humble perspective of ourselves, keeping far away from the cliff of boasting (reverse boasting), and keeping close to God's truth will help us to be more loving.

James 4:13 "Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money. 14Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air]. 15You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing]. 16But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong."

Matthew 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

I hope this word will help you today, my friends.

Love is not boastful or vainglorious.

I love you.