Good Boasting

Surely that is an oxymoron. Surely boasting is wrong, so there can be no such thing as “good boasting.” Or can there?

When a teacher tells someone about the good work a pupil has done, knowing that the pupil will overhear and knowing that this pupil needs a bit of encouragement, is that not good? When the apostle Paul, the chief of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), boasted about how the cross of Christ had saved him from his sin (Gal 6:14), is that not good boasting? When Peter and John told the people that they had no power to raise the lame and make them walk, but Jesus could do it (Acts 3), is that not good boasting?

We normally associate boasting with one who talks about himself. But in the three examples above, someone is speaking highly not of self but of another. In two of the three examples, that other is Jesus. That can often be a good form of boasting.

To become a good boaster, we must be willing to admit negative things about ourselves. To boast about the cross, we must admit that Christ’s horrible death was necessary because of our sin. Even for the teacher to effectively boast about the student, there should be an admission that the student is going beyond what the teacher thought could be made of the lesson as the teacher gave it.

Herein lies our problem. We want the credit. But it is impossible to do good boasting while sneaking in a little boasting about ourselves. “I am such a brilliant teacher that even little Johnny understands algebra now” is not going to do Johnny a bit of good. It is an insult rather than a help. “The Lord saved me because he saw that I was really a good person at heart” is boasting for sure, but not of the good kind. The focus becomes self. The star of the show is the speaker, not the Lord.

Let’s try to do more good boasting, on others and on the Lord. We will fail at it. We will catch ourselves sneaking in a little self-promotion along the way. But let’s try.

“But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 9:24, ESV).

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17, ESV).

God Guides

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good (Ecclesiastes 11:6, ESV).

I have often heard people complain that the Lord did not seem to be guiding them. Perhaps I have complained that way myself. Sometimes we claim to be seeking God’s will, but he does not make his will clear to us. There could be many reasons for that. In an article of reasonable length, it will not be possible to cover more than one of the possible reasons.

Could it be that we are not being led because we are not going anywhere?

When Abraham sent his servant to find a bride for Isaac, the Lord led him to just the right place (Gen 24:26-27). The Bible does not tell us how the Lord did that, but it does tell us what was happening when the Lord led the man. The servant was travelling. He was moving. He was doing something.

The Lord did not draw a detailed map of how to get to Rebecca’s house and send it to the servant before he ever left home. The man knew the general direction that he needed to travel, and he travelled that direction. As he travelled, the Lord led him.

All too often we sit at home waiting for guidance. That is foolish, and perhaps lazy as well. We know the general direction of God’s will. Let us travel in that direction. If we will do so, more specific guidance will be given as it is needed. But it will normally come to those who are moving, not to those who are sitting still doing nothing.

There are times when God’s people are called upon to “be still.” There are times when we are to sit still and let God take the needed action. But, when we claim to be seeking guidance, it is imperative that we do something. It is impossible to lead a person who insists on sitting still.

So, if you want God’s guidance, get busy. Head in a general direction that you know to be in accordance with his will. As you do so, he will guide more specifically when that is needed.

The Stroop Effect

The Stroop effect is a fundamental principle of psychology. Dr. John R. Stroop first described the negative effects of multi-tasking in the 1930s. The basic tests that Stroop developed to study the problem continued to be used almost 90 years later. I would go into an explanation of the Stroop effect, but you can look that up on your own if you happen to be in psychological studies.

Those of you not interested in psychology may wonder why I bring up the Stroop effect, only to drop the subject without even explaining what it is. Fair enough, here is my reason. John R. Stroop did the research for his Ph.D. carefully. His name has been and will be remembered because he did his work well.
That is my real subject, doing our tasks well.

Dr. Stroop enjoyed studying and teaching psychology, but he was first and foremost a worshipper of God. If you seek his name in our church library, you will find that he authored at least four books on biblical subjects. His biblical studies are, like his writings on psychology, somewhat dated. Writing styles have changed. As a result, some of what he wrote might seem a bit dry to many twenty-first century readers.

But what impresses me about the man is that he did his work well. John R. Stroop (or J. Ridley Stroop as he was generally known in the church) was a hard worker and a clear thinker. He was not in the habit of just repeating what others said (about the Bible or about psychology); nor was he one of those fools who just wanted to say something new to be saying something new (regardless of its truthfulness or practical value).

We live in a day of overspecialization. Too many people have studied almost everything about almost nothing. Within their area of specialization, they may be okay but their other work is poorly done. We live in a day of shoddy workmanship and throwaway products. The Bible tells us “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ” (Col 3:23-24). J. Ridley Stroop understood that; and he lived that way. I admire him for that.