Brag: January 17, 2013

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY JANUARY 17, 2013

BRAG

DEFINITION:

To declare boastfully; to speak with excessive pride.

SCRIPTURE:

"His brothers said to him (Joseph), 'Do you intend to reign over us?  Will you actually rule us?'  And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he said." Genesis 37:8

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Joseph was the favorite son of his father, Jacob, and he knew it.  Joseph had a dream in which he and brothers were binding sheaves and his brothers' sheaves bowed down to his sheaf.  Apparently, Joseph couldn't keep from doing a little bragging and couldn't resist telling his brothers his dream.  It didn't sit well with his brothers. They were outraged and asked him who he thought he was that he should reign over them. 

Then Joseph had a second dream in which the sun, the moon and the stars all bowed to him.  When Joseph shared this one, his father rebuked him for having the audacity to think that not only his brothers but that his mother and father would bow down to him.  After sharing his dreams, his brothers were even more jealous and hated him even more. 

No one likes a braggart.  Joseph was young and perhaps no different than most young children who do like to brag.  We have heard our children brag about something they thought they were better at than others.  The usual response of their siblings was, "Yeah, right.  In your dreams!"  This is just what Joseph's brothers felt.

We have all known people who like to brag about themselves, and how successful they are, how much money they have, how prestigious they are, how intelligent they are, and on and on.  All our abilities, all our knowledge and all that we have comes from God.  We should be thankful to God for the abilities and things we have.  We should not brag about them.  When we brag we give ourselves the glory. God is the one who should receive the praise and the glory for what we have.

When we are tempted to brag we should remember the words of Paul in Romans 11:36.  "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.  To Him be the glory forever."

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I John 1:9.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

PRAYER:

I acknowledge that all that I have and all that I am comes from You.  I give You the glory and I thank You for all You have given me.  Help me to teach my children to understand that everything they have comes from God and they should never brag about what they have or how much better they think they are than others.