Jeremiah 9:23-24

The LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD.”

What are the things you boast about – the things that give you the most pride and pleasure? For many people, it’s their family, but for others it’s their education, their achievements, their influence or their wealth. Almost certainly, the answer is found in the things you are most keen to talk about when you have a chance! In these verses, God was not saying that wisdom, power and riches were bad. There is much that can be very good about all three, but they should never take pride of place in our lives. All three of them are of passing significance, but the Lord is different and our knowledge of him is something with enduring importance.

The Bible constantly invites us to reflect on our lives and the way that we think. Every day, we are under pressure from all directions. Our family, friends, work, church, hobbies and the media are all seeking to shape our thinking. Jeremiah’s desire was for the people to correctly order their thinking and put God first. Their refusal to do so was an agony for him because he knew the destructive consequences. He longed that they should start focusing their lives on God and bragging about him.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he spoke about how God turns all our human thinking upside down. Greek society was impressed by great wisdom, but God doesn’t work in that way. Paul reflected that there is no basis on which we can ever boast in the presence of God. Agreeing with the words from Jeremiah, he wrote: “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

Question

What are you most inclined to boast about?

Prayer

Loving Father, forgive me for those times when I boast about things of temporary importance. Teach me how to boast of what you have done. Amen