We must Boast in Him.

Jeremiah 9:23 ”Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,”
To be truthful, we all like boasting. We all like to give directions to others and show our wisdom and impress others around us. Boasting for one thing or the other we all sometimes fall into these temptations. Sometimes we boast about ourselves and sometimes our belongings and sometimes our lifestyles or our kids. Boasting seems to be in everybody’s blood. A parent never fails to inform us that his or her child is an honor student by the bumper sticker on their car. An athlete does a dance or spikes the football after scoring a touchdown. A man will boast of his wealth through the clothes he wears and the car he drives. This boasting will almost always point others toward the person; the created one rather than the Creator of all. This kind of boasting affronts God. Because He knew that as this boasting gets in us we are not going to be His. We can change all this by knowing the right way to handle our temptations. The Bible tells us there is a boasting that is not sinful, boasting in the Lord, bringing glory to His holy name and the work He continues to do in and through us. Unfortunately, people can still make this sinful. We are told to boast in “He [who] understands and knows me.” For some this becomes a boasting of one’s superior understanding of God, or being intellectually skilled enough to know the Truth. Again, this is an attempt to point others to our glory instead of God’s. Boasting about God isn’t simply bragging about our knowledge of God, but boasting of His flawless character. Fortunately for us, in His grace, He practices steadfast love toward us even while we are centered on ourselves. He practices justice but has made a way for us to be just through Jesus. He also practices righteousness on the earth, when the earth continually turns its back on Him. When we boast of who God is, instead of “knowing the only way”, others will come to boast of this great God. One thing I know and like to encourage us today is always remembering that we cannot take a fraction of our breath if it is not allowed by Him, we can’t even think a single thought or act upon anything if it’s not given by Him, we cannot act, (hold, walk, hear or talk) if it is not His will for us to do. So why do we waste our time and energy by boasting about ourselves? We are chosen to bring glory to His holy name by His grace, not our own understanding and desires. It is He who allowed us to be part of His kingdom so let’s rejoice in Him all the time and boast in Him who has created us, blessed us with His words to subdue this world not by our ways or our struggles but by His mercies upon us. Let’s rejoice and start our day by giving glory to His holy name in all that we can do today. Let the world know about His work in and through us.
Promise: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Prayer: Dear Lord Heavenly Father mighty wonderful God. Lord, Your Word anticipates everywhere I’m tempted to turn, when you don’t seem to be enough, to fill the longings of my heart and the pain in my story. I wish “smarts, strength, and stuff” were the only three broken cisterns to which I default when I look beyond your generous provision for me in Jesus.
You Lord know me, and therefore, I know You. I know You only because You initiated and secured me in an intimate relationship with Yourself. I love You because You loved me first, and provided Your only son for me. It’s always You O’Lord my redeemer, Father, You are the first and You are the last.
Your justice, righteousness, and kindness are revealed on earth in the good news of Jesus. Through the gift of Your Holy Son, You lavished immeasurable kindness on us; You satisfied and justified all, and You have given us the gift of His perfect righteousness—and did all of this with great joy and delight. For so great a salvation and so great a Savior, I praise, bless, and adore you. Help me Lord so I may never boast in myself again, and today I pray to help me to remember You in everything I have, able to accomplish, or everything I can do I just remember You working in and through me to bring glory to Your Holy name. In Jesus’s Holy Name, I pray Amen.
Have a blessed day!