Biblical Love: Does Not Promote Self
"...Charity vaunteth not itself..." I Corinthians 13:4d
Charity: Noun
(as taken from the 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language, by Noah Webster)
- In a general sense, love, benevolence, good will; that disposition of heart which inclines men to think favorably of their fellow men, and to do them good. In a theological sense, it includes supreme love to God, and universal good will to men. (1 Corinthians 13; Colossians 3; 1 Timothy 1)
Vaunteth, what does that word mean? Well, to look it up in "E-Sword," (a free downloadable Bible concordance/research software), the Greek word is "perpereuomai," which means "braggart." So, I would surmise it to say that one who vaunts self is one who brags on self.
Whenever anyone brags on themself, charity does not immediately come to mind. In fact, I think of the word "selfish." I often find myself in the "braggart" corner. So, I have no "bragging" rights to being perfectly charitable.
Whenever I think of charity, I immediately think of God; specifically, Jesus Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16 He never promoted Himself. In fact, whenever He healed someone, He told them not to share it. He many times went about quietly, or at least tried. Many people were attracted to Him, so they followed Him, causing enormous crowds! They wanted what He could do for them, because of Him being the very God incarnate, etc. Yet, He never made it a side-show as we see all too often these days. He was never a braggart.
As wife to Dear, I desire his praise. There have been many times, (too numerous to count), wherein I sought to "brag" on my accomplishments/chores/tasks, to receive his accolades. I wanted Dear to shine the light of glory upon me.
Yet, God tells me to not be proud. He tells me to let others give me praise; not, as I too often do, seek to fish for it.
"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. "
Proverbs 27:2
"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."
Proverbs 31:31
"Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone (emphasis added) is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD."
PSALM 148
Oh, if only I would remember those verses as I am tempted to "vaunt" myself! Instead of singing my own praises, or fishing for them, I need to give praise unto God! I think the next time I am tempted to brag on myself, I need to make more of an effort to remember the name that alone is considered excellent. You can bet your bottom dollar it is not mine. Indeed, only the name of Christ will have all people bowing!
"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:10, 11
When the urge to splurge on my own name arises, why do I not give God the glory, instead? When the urge to fish for compliments arises, why not compliment Christ? When one does a deed worthy of praise, why hold back the praise? Why not praise the work God did through them, encouraging them in the process of praising Christ? Oh, such simple solutions--all just needing daily practice!
**Please join the rest of the series, as my friends and I discuss the matter of Biblical love, as found in 1 Corinthians 13. Each day, from February 1 - February 14, one of us will be writing on this subject. I have added which dates each one of us will be posting. God bless!**
- Karen @ Victorian Rose
- Gail @ The Imperfect Housewife
- Gail @ The Imperfect Housewife
- Renee (Me) @ I Am The Clay
- Blair @ The Straightened Path
- Kasey @ These Five of Mine Plus Two
- Renee (Me) @ I Am The Clay
- Gail @ The Imperfect Housewife
- Renee (Me) @ I Am The Clay
- Gail @ The Imperfect Houswife
- Kasey @ These Five of Mine Plus Two
- Blair @ The Straightened Path
- Blair @ The Straightened Path
- Karen @ Victorian Rose
Love it Renee! What a great reminder that love is not out to promote self! Praising God when we want to be praised is a wonderful, practical idea to use everyday. Thank you for sharing! :D
ReplyDeleteAfter an especially long day, it is very tempting to begin listing off all that has happened and gotten accomplished around the house. I think part of me just wants to validate that I really am doing something even though I'm not working outside the home now. The funny thing is, he picks up on the little things I do, that I don't even remember to mention. Thanks for the reminder that I don't need to pump myself up, even to my husband! Wonderful post, Renee!
ReplyDeleteI commented earlier but for some reason it didn't show up. People have been having that problem on my blog as well. Hmmm....
ReplyDeleteAnyway! I enjoyed this post. I have often wondered why Jesus told those he healed NOT to spread that news. Now I can see that it was much more for our benefit now than it was his then.
Thank you, friends. Indeed, God taught me a lot in this lesson, & is still teaching. God bless you!
ReplyDeleteRenee this is awesome! Thank you for sharing! I love that you took this on the angle of being a wife. So fitting.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing sometimes too. I let my husband know what I did all day waiting for a smile and a hug haha. I want to please him as I think every wife wants to do. Funny things is, I don't even give him a chance to walk more than 5 feet in the door before I tell him haha! He's often appreciative and notices when I don't say anything. More importantly, I should be thanking him for all he does instead of bragging about what I've done!
On a flip side, sometimes when we don't 'brag' what we do people might assume we do nothing. Especially in the church where sometimes it can be a competition among people (often times women). I can sound like ..." Well I joined this volunteer group, or I lead this" and it's a back and forth, up the other conversation. I remember feeling really hurt that I felt so judged about what I do ( or didn't do) to them simply because I tried not to boast it. Sometimes I did what they did to feel included in their little games but then I felt sick about it. Ladies! Don't do this! God is the judge.
But God see what we do and He reminds us.
Thank you, Kim, for your comment! It really blessed my heart, seeing such a commonality. May you be blessed as I pray God protects from unnecessary bickerings!
ReplyDelete