"Called by God, to boast in Him"

WORD FROM THE CENTER: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2,  2026
Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s passage is from 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, where the Bible says….

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong; God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things of the world to nullify the things that are, so that no one can boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Jesus Christ, who has become for us wisdom from God that is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption, therefore as it is written; "let him who boasts, boast in the Lord!"

"Called by God, to boast in Him"

We live in an age obsessed with image management. Entire industries exist to shape perception—public relations firms, branding consultants, and social media strategists whose job is to make people appear impressive. Success is measured in likes, shares, followers, and fawning fans. Oh, and that doesn’t stop here on “the Hill.” People who get enough votes tend to think that allows them “to rule the world.” Yikes! We, all of us, curate our best moments, edit out our failures, and quietly hope the applause never stops.

And then the apostle Paul stands up and says, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

The irony could not be sharper. In a world that survives on self-promotion, God offers salvation through self-emptying and honest reflection. While the culture teaches us to build platforms to support our grandiosity, God calls us to kneel in repentance before Him. While we are trained to polish our image, God saves us by exposing our need.

Paul reminds us that God’s way has always run counter to “our ways.” As the prophet Isaiah reminds us, in Isaiah 55:8-9,

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Back to Paul….God does not choose the impressive to save the unimpressive; He chooses the unimpressive so that salvation cannot be mistaken for a marketing success. He selects the foolish, the weak, and the lowly “so that no one may boast before Him.” God designs salvation in such a way that the human pride of sinners has no speaking role.

Here is the holy irony: the moment we stop promoting ourselves, and receive salvation as God’s gift, that is the moment God gives us something worth proclaiming.

Christians have often been nervous about boasting, and rightly so. Most boasting is simply insecurity amplified. Even spiritual boasting can smuggle the self-back in—“I’m thankful God has blessed me because I’ve been faithful, disciplined, committed…” Jesus warned us about this kind of piety, the kind that thanks God while quietly admiring itself.

Yet Paul does not tell us to stop boasting altogether. He redirects it. Boast in the Lord.

This is where the gospel collides head-on with our age. PR firms exist to convince others we are enough. Social media trains us to believe affirmation equals identity. But the gospel begins by telling the truth we spend our lives avoiding: we are not enough. We are not righteous enough, wise enough, or strong enough. No amount of Facebook followers can fix the human heart. No applause can erase guilt. No political or economic platform can rescue us from death.

But, that confession—our utter need—is not the end of the story. It is the doorway.

God saves us by grace, through faith, and even that faith is His gift. Nothing is earned. Nothing is leveraged. Nothing is deserved. If salvation could be achieved through better branding, clearer messaging, or stronger influence, there would have been no need for the cross. But Christ was crucified precisely because we could not pay our sin’s eternal penalty, not save ourselves.

Christ alone…He is the world’s ONLY Savior. And what a Savior He is. That’s what the Epiphany season is all about, manifesting who this Jesus is, what He has come to do for all. Put your faith IN HIM. Jesus did not manage His image; He gave up His glory. He did not seek approval; He bore rejection. He did not defend Himself; He carried our sin. He became our wisdom, our righteousness, our holiness, our redemption. Everything we lack, He supplies. Everything we cannot become, He is for us.

This kind of boasting actually humbles us—and then frees us. Freed from self-promotion, we no longer need to pretend. Freed from comparison, we no longer need to compete. Freed from approval addiction, we can finally tell the truth about ourselves and about God.

And here is another irony: when we stop boasting about ourselves, God uses us more powerfully. Like the wooden foundations beneath the canals of Venice—strengthened by the very waters that surround them—the cross of Christ grows stronger under pressure. What looks weak endures. What looks foolish, because it is supplied, directed, and empowered by Him, it saves.

This also changes how we see others. We are not influencers looking down on the unredeemed; we are beggars telling other beggars where bread is found. Now that’s boasting that blesses!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, In a world obsessed with being seen, heard, and celebrated, give us a “boasting disposition” that comes by grace through faith, ALONE. Give us strength to boast in a crucified Savior. Give us courage to boast in grace given to the undeserving. Give us joy to boast in salvation received, not achieved, and shared. Amen