My Boast

Dear Weekly Readers!

Please enjoy this week's article. May God Bless your week! 

John

My Boast

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. (Psalm 34:2)

In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. (Psalm 44:8)

Dear Lord, I do not want to boast of my strength or lament too much of my weakness, but to boast of Thy strength in my weakness. I do not want to boast of my goodness or my lack of doing good, but of Your goodness and Your ability to work only Thy good within me.

Dear Lord, I do not want to boast of my love for others, or the lack of love or ability to show it, but to boast of Thy love and complete omnipotence to work within this statue of marble, only by Thy power. I do not want to boast of my wish to speak and do all in truth and honesty, but to boast of Thy will and power to instill it and to unleash this tongue of clay to speak it, this body of iniquity to live it.

Dear Lord, I do not want to boast of my strength and capability to forgive my fellowman, or to cry too much over my inability to forgive him, but to boast of Your love and power within this earthen vessel, to give love where there is none and forgiveness that I cannot feel and know.

Dear Lord, I cannot boast of my love for Thee, but of Thy love for me. I cannot boast of my will to follow and live for Thee, but of Thy will and power to lead and live in me. I cannot boast of having Your Spirit within me, to guide me to all truth, but of Your forgiveness, love, mercy and great graciousness, to give Your Spirit to guide me.

For dear Lord, by Thy love and grace and mercy, I have learned one thing, that the more I learn of Thee, the less I know of anything, and as I grow in Thy grace and the knowledge of truth, the greater this sinner becomes.

And the devil and my own prideful flesh told me this is a good piece of knowledge. So always I am undone and prostrate before Thee. For even in good, I do evil.

Dear Father, glorify Thyself!

Rhoda Olin