October 9
Jeremiah 9-10
Psalm 112:1-5
Proverbs 24:21-22
I Timothy 6:11-21
Boasting in the Lord
“This is what the Lord says: The wise man must not boast in his wisdom; the strong man must not boast in his strength; the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me—that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the Earth, for I delight in these things.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 HCSB
Nobody likes a braggart. We all know those people who brag about themselves and their accomplishments all the time. Social media has made that even easier. We can brag on Facebook and Instagram about things that we wouldn’t tell people in person. Tooting our own horns has become an acceptable sign of a “healthy self-esteem.” I’m not suggesting we shouldn’t post things on social media. There is nothing wrong with being proud of our kids and their achievements or posting pictures to let people know what is going on in our lives. The motive behind the post is the important thing. If we are posting to impress people or to “keep up with the Jones’” there is a problem. Or if we are posting selfies all the time and are worried about how many likes we get, we may need to evaluate our motives. God gives this reminder to Jeremiah because He knows that we tend to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We need to remember that the only thing we have a right to boast about is our relationship with God. Anything else we may think we have to boast about is something that we received from God. It is not anything that we did so that we should deserve the praise for it. Wealth is a blessing from God. Wisdom is from God. Strength is from God. Any talents and accomplishments that we have are from God, so we have no right to boast about them. The only thing that we can boast about is that we understand and know God, that He is Yahweh, the One, True God. We can boast about all the things He has done for us. We can boast about His faithfulness. We can boast about His love, and we can boast about His presence in our lives. Boasting about God reflects a grateful, humble heart. We are encouraged throughout scripture to boast in the Lord. Instead of being known as someone who brags about themselves all the time, may we be known as someone who won’t stop bragging on God.
“Just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” I Corinthians 1:31 (NASB1995)
“My soul will make its boast in the Lord; the humble will hear it and rejoice.” Psalm 34:2 (NASB1995)
“In God we have boasted all day long. And we will give thanks to Your name forever. Selah.” Psalm 44:8 (NASB1995)
“Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we boast in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 (NASB1995)
“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14 (NASB1995)
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