Our Boast

But let him who boasts boast about this:

that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

People find many things on which to base their self-esteem. For a runner, it might be speed or distance; for a weight lifter, it could be the number of pounds they can curl. For a person of wealth, self-esteem could be based on a diverse portfolio, and for one interested in worldly power, it is probably the number of "underlings" they control. For others still, self-esteem can be based on outer beauty, the latest fashion, or a desire to stay young. But, by their very nature, none of these things can provide lasting satisfaction in our quest for self-esteem. Each is, at best, a passing grandeur.

Perhaps that is why God’s words through the prophet Jeremiah are like music to our weary ears. We no longer have to strive in a vain attempt to keep up with the world in order to find self-esteem and significance. Did you catch it? God wants us to spend our time and energy getting to know him and learning to understand his ways. He wants to be our priority and focus. In other words, God wants an intimate, know-and-be-known relationship with his chosen people. We do not need to look for our self-esteem and significance by perusing knowledge, power, wealth, physical strength, or beauty. Instead, God’s people are to find their worth and value in their relationship with him.

That’s what made Israel different from all the other nations: the fact that this awesome God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, had invited them to be in a personal relationship with him. The Lord did not want to rule his people from afar. Our covenant God, the Sovereign and Mighty Lord of all creation, wanted to be personally involved in the lives of those he had called to be his own. And, because our God is a jealous God, his people were created so that they could only find lasting esteem and security in him—and in availing themselves of the opportunity to develop an intimate, interactive relationship with their Lord by listening to his voice and following his ways. To understand and know God was something for them to boast about; something that would never lose its luster, would never fade away, and would never leave them searching for esteem and value in the eyes of the world.

And that truth has not changed! Having a personal relationship with God is what matters most to us, too. Many of us respond to the Lord’s call because we want to find out what’s in this thing called Christianity for us. We know we need something or someone, and for most of us, our laundry list of wants is unending. However, as we get to know God, those things soon become a secondary benefit to being in a right relationship with him. Giving Christ first place and growing in grace and knowledge soon become our focus and our boast. We soon realize that what we accomplish on this earth is really nothing to boast about anyway, for we have only achieved whatever measure of success we have garnered in God’s might and power. It’s all about him. We are only instruments in the hand of the Master.

Our only esteem and security are to be found as we stay connected to this awesome God, the One who invites us to be in a loving relationship with him. And, in a world of downward cycles, our relationship with God is a never-ending upward cycle. As we seek to get to know him, our hunger and thirst for righteousness continues to grow—and we are called to respond to God’s love in joyful obedience and heartfelt devotion by establishing those priorities and goals that foster our relationship with the One who longs to be our boast! As God’s dearly beloved children, we are called to be separate and set apart, and to base our self-esteem on our relationship with our Lord, not on earthly accomplishments. To understand and know God is indeed something to boast about. Today I pray that boast may be ours.

A man’s heart is right when he wills what God wills.

~~Thomas Aquinas

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A Question to Ponder: “We no longer have to strive in a vain attempt to keep up with the world, to find self-esteem and significance.” Are you still striving to find self-esteem and significance in the world? If so, in what ways?

A Prayer to Offer: Gracious God, how quickly I forget the basic truth that if I am going to establish an intimate relationship with you, I must spend time with you! I can’t give you my spare time and then claim you are my number one priority. If you are to be my first love, then I must put you first. Yet all too often, Lord, I allow other things that cry out for my attention to come before time spent with you. Things that don’t fill me with joy and gladness; things that drain me and leave me unable to spend quality time with you. I claim that knowing you and loving you is my greatest privilege—and being known and loved by you is my greatest pleasure. Oh Sovereign Lord, may my actions give credence to those words. So often I boast about my job, or my family, or my volunteer activities, or the latest bargain I found while shopping—but I don’t boast in Jesus Christ, the One who allows me to do all these other things. Forgive me, merciful Father, for not keeping my relationship with you at the top of my priority list. Thank you for loving me, faults and all, and for calling me to put off my old self, with all its boasting and pride, and put on the humility of Christ my Savior, my Lord, and my example. Amen.

An Action Step to Take: Give of your best to your Master! Spend quality time with him at the beginning of your day rather than at the end of the day when your energy and attention have been depleted. God gave his best for you. He deserves your best in return!