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I Would Rather Be Boasting...
by Frederick Drummond, Jr.
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power (δυναμις) of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might (δυναμις) through His Spirit in the inner man,
Ephesians 3:16
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power (δυναμις) and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
δυναμις – dunamis – strength, power, ability
- inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
- power for performing miracles
- moral power and excellence of soul
- the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
- power and resources arising from numbers
- power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts
Your critics want you to take your problems very personally. They want you to fail. They get very touchy when you bounce back and resolve your mistakes and shortcomings in the power and love of God. They want you to pay for your mistakes on your own, and prefer that you bear a cross of performance than to triumph in the grace of God in spite of them. I remember a baby-sitter telling me when I was a child that I obviously didn’t really mean that I was sorry for my infraction because I wasn’t sad enough about it. Sadly enough this person had allowed herself to be stripped of her boasting potential in Christ at some point and had become comfortable with paying for her mistakes without the power of God, and wanted me to pay too.
Are you being dragged down? Are you letting yourself get talked out of a marvelous boasting opportunity? I became a Christian because of the goodness of God. And with the free gift of a new heart came the gift of the Holy Spirit and His accompanying power working inside me. Although life wants to train me in a spirit of fear, Jesus gave me the Holy Spirit of power (δυναμις) at work in my life.
In His ministry among the church members of Ephesus, the Apostle Paul prayed that their strengthening would come by the power (δυναμις) of the Holy Spirit from the inside out. He told Timothy, who at one time was their interim pastor, that the gift of the Holy Spirit he had received by the laying on of hands was his resource of power (δυναμις) on the inside to be stirred up with love and a sound mind.
What are you stirring up? What are you letting your critics stir up? Paul basically said, “I would rather be boasting right now, in spite of the fact that you want us both to harp on my problems that I took to God at least three times; so please don’t reduce this power (δυναμις) opportunity for God into a blame session for my flesh and the devil.”
Paul shared an important lesson: while in the middle of circumstances that are lined up against you that may even be complicated by your weaknesses and mistakes, rather boast in the power of God, instead of commiserating about the problem.
“Jesus bore this on my behalf, and now in repentance and faith, this is an opportunity for His very powerful grace!” is the praise of my faith in God. I’ll never be sorry enough for my critics. Forget them. God and I would both rather see me boasting with shouts of “Grace, grace” about this thing in my life.
I would rather boast. Yes, I would rather boast. Go ahead; boast! Yes, boast right in the middle of the mess, and let the power (δυναμις) of God be your strength. Stir up His power and love, because His grace is more than enough, and His power is infinite in our lives for good.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power (δυναμις) that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20, 21
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