Behind the Back Brag | Crosstraining 6.19.15

Matthew 11:1-11 As a computer nerd, I’ve always been fascinated by the stories of today’s biggest tech companies like Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, and twitter. In the case of the latter, twitter was born out of another failed business when the members of the company were working to find a project that would saved their business. They stumbled on their business, and one of the guys, named Noah Glass, was instrumental in creating the twitter service. As time went on, though, he was let go from the company. He never got credit for the work he did in creating one of the most influential products of the internet age. Even though he hasn’t gotten the accolades and billions of dollars the other original creators received, he was still part of creating something that changed the world. In the story when John the Baptist is in prison and sends someone to ask Jesus if He really was the Messiah, Jesus gives John one of the greatest compliments ever. He essentially says that John the Baptist was the greatest person in the world. But, chances are good that John never heard that Jesus said those words about him. Jesus was bragging on Him, but He never heard it. John the Baptist was instrumental in kickstarting Jesus’ ministry on earth, and Jesus had nothing but incredible things to say about the man. However, John the Baptist was imprisoned and executed for His work. Not only was he looked over, he was punished! Even though things didn’t quite work out the way John had hoped, He was still an integral part of changing the world through the love of Jesus Christ. Things won’t always work out exactly the way we want them to. We may do numerous good things and never even receive a thank you. But, we can take heart in knowing that, when we follow Him and do good, God may be bragging on us even when we don’t hear it. // TWO-A-DAYS // GO A LITTLE FARTHER WITH YOUR DAILY DEVOTIONS // Go through these questions with your spouse, kids, or friend, or you can even journal about the answers to these questions:

1. What was the best part of your day?
2. What was the toughest part of your day?
3. Where did you mess up today?
4. Where did you see God today?

Reflect: What’s the biggest compliment you’ve ever received? How would you feel if God Himself was right next to you right now and gave you that compliment (or something similar). How does it make you feel that God may very well be bragging on you right now? Pray: Pray to God today that He would help you live a life worth bragging about. Talk to Him about specific areas of your life you feel are weak where you need to lean more on Him. READ THROUGH THE NEW TESTAMENT: Today’s Reading: Ephesians 3]]>