What Are You Boasting In?

This morning, as I was going over some old memorization cards, I came across one from Jeremiah.  For some reason, it hit me in a whole new way:

"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, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.  For in these things I delight, declares the Lord."

 Jeremiah 9:23-24 (ESV)

Wow.  Did you feel any conviction in your heart from this??  I wonder how we can't after reading it.  God himself is telling us that He is the only thing worthy of us to be boasting about, not riches, or wisdom, or might.  

Do you see how all those other things (riches, wisdom, might) are things that we have control over?  We can work hard in our jobs and careers to gain wealth. We can study hard and go to school and get all these degrees to earn wisdom.  We can gain might in different ways - through gaining strength and power physically at the gym, or how our nation gains might through the power we display and wars we fight.

Yet God doesn't tell us to boast in any of these things.  Instead, He tells us to boast in something that has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with Him and what He has done.

We are to boast in the fact that we know and understand God! Can you take a moment and just realize how amazing that is?  Our God has allowed us to know and understand Him.  What other king wanted his people to boast in the fact that they knew him?  Do earthly kings want to take the time to open themselves up to the people in their kingdom - to reveal everything about themselves to poor, sinful people that can give nothing in return?  

That is exactly what God does with us.  He invites us into a relationship.  He chooses us and calls us out of the darkness into His marvelous light.  He takes away our sins that were once scarlet and wipes them clean, as clean as snow!! (Isaiah 1:16)  

And we have nothing to do with this.  Christ did all that for us already.  He allowed us to have a way to form a relationship with the one true King.  

And that is what the Lord tells us to boast in. He is indeed worthy of our boasting.  Instead of talking about what all your hands and feet and mind have given you, let's boast in what Christ's nail-scarred hands and feet and pierced side have given us. 

His Word so clearly reminds us what our role is in His kingdom.  He alone is worthy of boasting.  He alone delights in giving steadfast love, justice and righteousness. Let's start boasting about how our wisdom, might and riches are nothing in comparison to what Christ has allowed us to enter into.  Can you imagine the ways in which God can use this simple change in our manner to bring other brothers and sisters into His family?

Let's start boasting y'all :)

"I will boast only in the cross
The Father’s love at Calvary
My sin erased, my debt He paid
This is my hope, the song I sing"