2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV | “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.”

Message translation says; “If I have to brag about myself, I’ll brag about the humiliations that make me like Jesus.” Wow! When the scripture admonishes us to ‘have the same mind as Christ Jesus’, it didn’t refer to when He rode on a donkey, nor when He walked on water. It rather referred to the mind that went through suffering in other to crucify self, and ultimately please God.

Paul boasts about His participation in the sufferings of Christ. Imprisonments. Numerous floggings. Beatings. Hunger. Nakedness. Shipwrecks. He brags about everything he suffered for the sake of pleasing God. Those are our real credentials.

It is pathetic what we followers of Christ boast about today. If you must brag, let it be about the humiliations and sufferings that make you like Christ. Because, without participation in such sufferings, we cannot know Him intimately, and without knowing Him intimately, we cannot experience His power.