He who boasts...

Reflecting on the brevity of life leaves me with a single thought: all that will be left when I take my last breath is what God has done within me, in my own heart. This idea is elementary and cliché, but so often flees the forefront of my mind. The phrase ‘everything is futile’ is exhausted, but it speaks an inexhaustible truth-nothing we have here on earth will last.  Living in New York City, distractions easily remove my attention from this fact of life.  My affection is sought by advertisements and the desire to ‘fit’ in the culture and become a part of the elite society in the city. The vanity I seek is as useless as chasing fog, or wind, or pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.  In 2^nd Corinthians chapter 3, the Apostle Paul says that we are not adequate in ourselves, but are made adequate only by God.  It is strictly through the Holy Spirit that anything we are is made wholly satisfactory and acceptable unto Him.  Though I might seek to please myself, and somewhat seek to please God with the empire I create upon this earth, what ultimately pleases Him is not of my doing, but of His. I can be proud of the things I achieve on this earth, but anything I do myself pales in comparison to what God has done in and through me. Thus, all my boasting may only be of what the Lord has done in my life. This idea ties back to Jeremiah chapter 9, where the Lord speaks, saying that a wise man may not boast of his wisdom, nor the mighty man boast of his might, nor the rich man boast of his riches; but rather, let the man who boast, solely boast in the fact that he understands and knows the Lord God.  As followers of Christ, we must realize our real accomplishments are from God above. Because of this, let us seek to praise and boast of the spiritual restoration and miraculous works He has done in our lives.