Boasting in the Lord

You can tell a person’s priorities by how they spend three things: their money, their time, and their words. The first two are not always evident if you don’t know someone well, but you can gauge what is important to someone pretty quickly through casual conversation. There are really only a few things that dominate a person’s life. Life is complicated, and we all have various commitments and responsibilities, but only a handful of things are truly important to each person. Through our words, we reveal what’s important to us. It’s impossible not to.

What sorts of things tend to come up in my conversations? There are only a few major things: my family, guitars and music, my work at SLCC, what books I’m reading, and what movies I’ve seen. Others may have different lists that include their cars or houses, how much money they make, who they’re dating, their titles or position, or other things (and people) that make them feel secure and important.

These are the areas where take pride, or “boast.” It’s where we find our identity.  In the academic world, it’s not uncommon for professors to take great pride in their degrees, publications and awards. Likewise, students get much of their identity through grades.

I was struck recently by how different all of this is from the words of Jeremiah:

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.” (Jer. 9.23-24)

I hear all kinds of conversations that center around sports, music, culture, grades, accomplishments, family, health, and a thousand other things. But I can’t recall many conversations when someone “boasted” about understanding and knowing the Lord more intimately; where it was evident this was the driving priority of his or her life.

As we come out of a week where the headlines have been dominated by the loss and gain of political power, and as we will soon enter into the time of year when we are obsessed with giving and receiving material gifts, may we take to heart Paul’s words from 1 Cor. 1.31: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Worship leader Paul Baloche has done a great job of capturing this thought in the song “I Will Boast.” Check it out on iTunes.