Have you ever seen a Pufferfish? This is a type of fish that can inflate itself to look larger than it actually is. Normally a Pufferfish will just swim around and act like any other fish, until it feels that it is threatened, and then it will inflate itself. The Pufferfish will do this by filling its stomach with water, or even air, to increase its size. After the Pufferfish is inflated, it will swim around in this condition until it eventually expels the water or air and it then goes back to its normal size.
Sometimes people, including Christians, can be like the Pufferfish. This kind of a person will try to inflate themselves to appear to be something they are not. They may feel that for some reason they need to exaggerate something about themselves, or something that they have done, in an attempt to seem bigger than they really are to other people. The reason that people do this is that they may feel threatened by someone else or by another person's experience.
In 1 Corinthians 8:1-2, Paul points out that knowledge puffs up but that love edifies. At times, we may feel pressured to try to put our knowledge or experience on display to try and "puff ourselves up" in the eyes of others. We may feel intimidated by someone else and think that the solution is to show off something in our own life. The truth is, that by doing this, we are only displaying our spiritual immaturity. Rather than feel concerned about how we appear to others with our knowledge and experiences, we need to focus on doing what we can to build others up in love.
No comments:
Post a Comment