Galatians 6:2-5 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
5 For each one shall bear his own load.
NASB: ..then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone
NIV: … then they can take pride in themselves alone
Pride? It’s not good in comparison to others.
Lucifer wanted to be like God, with his own kingdom where he was the master (Isaiah 14:12-14). He was not satisfied with serving. And pride was his downfall.
Pride is bad when it is haughtiness – believing yourself to be superior to others.
It’s OK to take pride in, rejoice in, and be pleased with our own accomplishments – or even in the accomplishments of others.
What parent is not proud when their child does well? But we’ve all seen the shows (or maybe experienced in real life) where the overbearing parent is convinced that their precious darling is so much more talented than everyone else’s kid and deserves the top spot, and it’s so obvious that just everybody should see it.
“But doesn’t vs. 3 say we should believe we are nothing?”
Without Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15:5). But with Him, all things are possible!
Comparing yourself to others: there will always be someone who is better than you in areas, and those that are not as good as you in areas. The mature attitude to take is that we can learn from those better than us, and help to instruct and aid any way we can those who are not as advanced in us.
The unspiritual attitude is to be jealous of those who are better/have more/have accomplished more, or feel superior to those “below” us.
1 Corinthians 4:7 7 For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Boasting
Boasting (the act of making a boast) is the act of speaking about oneself, one’s achievements, or one’s possessions with excessive pride, self-satisfaction, or exaggeration. It typically aims to elicit admiration or portray a sense of superiority over others.
It is related to bragging.
Bragging typically implies crudity, self-aggrandizement, and a high likelihood of exaggeration. Boasting can sometimes be based on factually true accomplishments but is expressed in a self-important or tasteless manner.
Boasting and bragging have the motivation that you are trying to impress people. It usually stems from insecurity. People that are confident in themselves don’t have to brag.
So should boasting be eliminated entirely? There is one application where it is OK, or even encouraged:
Romans 15:17 17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God.
1 Corinthians 1:29-31 NASB 29 so that no man may boast before God.
30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,
31 so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts , boast in the Lord.”
We can brag on what Jesus has done! Even if you were involved in it.
Let’s take an example: you lay hands on someone, and pray for them, and they get miraculously healed! That is a reason to get excited! You can tell people about it! But we should take the attitude that Peter did when he healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate.
Acts 3:1-9, there was a lame man who sat at the entrance of the Beautiful Gate begging. Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” And the man was instantly healed and went walking and leaping!
The people were amazed, and gathered around.
Acts 3:12, 16 12 So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: “Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?”
16 And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
Peter had operated in the manifestational Gift of Healing (1 Corinthians 12:9). The gift is for the person who gets healed, not for the one who did the praying. I like to look at it this way: Someone mails you a gift, and it gets delivered by the postman or FedEx guy. Now you can thank the delivery guy for their necessary part in getting that gift to you, but the real thanks for the gift should go to the one who sent it.
So when the Lord works through us, we are just the delivery guy (or girl). We can get excited that God used us, but it was God who did the work. We can brag on what He did.
Comparison that is OK
So we see that we should not be comparing ourselves to others. But there is a comparison that we can make – comparing ourselves where we are now, to where we were before. Looking at how far we’ve come. In other words, examining our progress.
Growth and progress are deeply woven into the narrative of Scripture. The Bible consistently frames spiritual, emotional, and practical growth not as a stressful race for perfection, but as a healthy, natural journey that brings joy and is fully pleasing to God.
Progress is Pleasing and Acceptable
Moving forward, taking steps (however small), and bearing fruit is exactly what God desires and finds acceptable.
Philippians 1:6 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Growth is a joint effort. This verse reminds us that progress is an ongoing progression, and reassures us that we don’t have to be instantly perfect; the forward movement itself is what matters.
Colossians 1:10 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Notice the active words: walking, being fruitful, increasing. The progression itself is what pleases Him, rather than “having arrived”.
Your Growth and Progress Can Be Seen (and Celebrated!)
Scripture actually encourages us to recognize progress in ourselves and others, treating it as a cause for encouragement and celebration.
1 Timothy 4:14-15 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
Paul tells Timothy to cultivate his gifts so that his progress can be clearly seen. It’s a direct endorsement that personal growth is visible, positive, and meant to be acknowledged.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other,
This is an excellent example of celebrating someone else’s progress. Paul looks at the Thessalonian church, sees their growing faith and abounding love, and celebrates it with thanksgiving.
Embracing the Process Over Perfection
It’s been said so often that it has become a cliché in Christian circles: It’s more about the journey than the destination.
If you have a spirit of perfectionism, only being satisfied when you’ve reached a goal, you can become discouraged because you are constantly focused on how far you have to go. You are constantly telling yourself, “I’m not there yet”.
We need to look back on our accomplishments, our progress.
I am reminded of one of our favorite hikes in the Mt. Shasta area: from Castle Lake to Heart Lake. We start at the parking lot of the Castle Lake camping area. You look up, and you see the goal way, way up there (the arrow points to where we were going). It’s going to be a climb!
But as you go, you can look back at Castle Lake and see how much higher you are getting. Higher and higher!
.
.
And finally you reach your destination, and the incredible vista spread out before you.
So looking back is a good thing, as long as you are looking back at your accomplishments and successes. Because that builds hope for the future – you can see that your present efforts are producing results. But if you are looking back at your past failures and shortcomings, that will steal your hope. Then you’ll take the attitude, “What’s the use?”
I like this quote by Steve Backlund: “Our level of hope determines our load bearing capacity.”
Another quote is “Hope is the belief that the future will be better than the present, and I have the power to help make it so.”
Paul addresses how he lets go of the past:
Philippians 3:13-15 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Another example of a hike we did, where we let discouragement set in and quit before reaching our goal: Near Redding there is a hike to Whiskeytown Falls. The sign said it was only 1.7 miles, but we learned it was very steep. It was also in a warmer season. As we went up, resting frequently, we were traveling along a creek bed that was dried up. We started wondering if there was going to be much water in the falls. So we got to a certain place, and decided to head back. We had decided that the destination was going to be a disappointment, and not in proportion to the effort we were putting out to get there.
A couple years later in a cooler part of the year, we tried again. This time we knew it was going to be steep. And what we discovered is that we only had to go another 250 feet around a corner from where we quit last time to reach the falls!
It Takes Time and Patience
Bearing fruit takes time.
Mark 4:26-29 26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground,
27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how.
28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.
29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
We have a little hydroponic garden that we grow herbs and things in. You put the little tiny seeds in the containers, and for a while, nothing happens. But then you see tiny little sprouts coming up.
Zechariah 4:10
“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…”
After a few weeks – and you can see the growth daily – it’s time for harvest!
Mark 4 is all about how the operation of the kingdom of God is like farming. Note that this parable is not just concerning about how people receive the gospel, but pertains to how all parts of the kingdom of God works.
- Someone has to sow seed (the farmer). No seed sown, no crop
- The seed is the Word of God, and the ground is your heart
- The type of soil the seed is sown in determines the type of harvest – or no harvest – that will be produced. It is how the soil receives the seed
- Even in good soil, the yield can vary – 30, 60, 100 fold
- The farmer doesn’t have to know exactly how everything works. (1 Corinthians 3:16) I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
- It takes time and patience has to be exercised
- When the time is right, the farmer has to reap the harvest
For more on this, see Faith Comes By Hearing (Sower Sows the Word)