One of my proudest moments as a parent was watching my sophomore twin boys together accomplish an 80-yard pass completion. It was epic! And while the rest of our family made statements about “our” team, the reality is that we had absolutely nothing to do with the fabulous play.
This upcoming weekend many will be claiming victory for “their” team; be it Rams or Bengals. Yet again, sitting in a living room watching the game on a large screen TV in no way makes one responsible for a win, and thus able to claim the victory. While there is nothing wrong with cheering on a team, is it worth considering who we are really crediting for the triumph?
Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message Bible, has a way of expressing Scripture in a relevant, witty and profound way that names the absurdities of our culture today, all the while pronouncing its timeless truth. His translation of 1 Corinthians 1:27-31 does not disappoint, “Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.”
In this statement, Paul is calling the church to boast about something in which they had no part. If we claim victory for ourselves, we miss out on the joy and utter elation of boasting for the Lord, the only one who has ever conquered death! It is Christ who is our righteousness. It is Christ who is our sanctification. It is Christ who is our redemption.
Next time you want to boast, first consider what and whom you are boasting about. As Romans 11:36 so eloquently states, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
So next time you blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God!
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling