Jeremiah 9:23-24 / Our Boast

“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, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me…"

What does it mean to boast? Does boasting in something stem from pride or insecurity? Or a bit of both?

When we boast in something we are holding up that thing as our confidence, or source of security.

A wise man rests on his wisdom to guide him through life.

A mighty man depends on his strength to protect him.

Others might look to their career to find their confidence or lean on their beauty or their talent to get them by.

There are a million and one things we can place our confidence or security in, but there is only one place Jeremiah says we should.

He says if you want to boast in anything, boast in one thing only—that you understand and know the Lord.

Our confidence comes from intimacy with God.  We boast in our dependence! 

Jeremiah is stating something that those who have lived long on this earth might have recognized by now–that most things in life can fail us or let us down.

You get older and your wisdom fades alongside your ability to think sharply and quickly.  Your muscles don’t respond like they used to, and your body begins to break down.

To put your confidence in those things is to put your confidence in something that is slowly decaying.

But to boast in knowing and understanding the Lord erases all fear and insecurity.  

The closer we get to Him the more we will trust Him. 

The deeper we lean into His presence the more fully we will be able to experience the fullness of His love.

Our understanding of salvation will allow us to boast in Christ’s sacrifice rather than our own accomplishments, which leads to humility and dependence.

So, the question for us is this—Do you listen and respond to Christ above all others?

Is He where you boast or is it in something else?

Take a few moments to reflect on where you have hung your confidence.

Are you relying on the things of the world or the things of the Lord?

And if it is anything besides Him, take it to the altar and sacrifice it there before your kind and loving King.

Place Him on the throne of your heart and allow Him to then breath confidence in your lungs and joy in your heart.

Let’s grow in knowing and understanding the Lord more this year!

Blessings, 

Pastor Dave

If you want to dig deeper into this, need help, need prayer, or have questions—please reach out to us here: https://www.rootscc.com/covid-19-help