How to Boast

"This is what the LORD says:

'Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom,

or the powerful boast in their power,

or the rich boast in their riches.

But those who wish to boast

should boast in this alone:

that they truly know me and

understand that I am the LORD

who demonstrates unfailing love

and who brings justice and

righteousness to the earth,

and that I delight in these things.

I, the LORD, have spoken!'"

Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT

Everyone boasts at one time or another. In fact, I live in a culture that encourages me to look out for my own self-interests before I consider anyone else, to promote my own agenda, toot my own horn, boost my self-confidence by extolling my own virtues.  It shouldn't be surprising, then, that those who brag the most are the most full of themselves and their own wisdom, power and riches, who bought into the lie that the world is their oyster and it revolves around them.  

If I'm ever tempted to boast, I want to do it in a way that pleases God, not in order to pump myself up.  Here is how to do it.

Intimate Knowledge.  The more I know, the more there is to talk about.  As I walk with the Lord my Shepherd in humble submission, I learn more about Him and what makes Him tick.  I discover all the ways He accomplishes the impossible as I witness the work of His hands in the everyday.  Resting in all Jesus has already done for me, I am filled with awe when I behold my Father's loving care and the patient, gentle way He molds me into the image of His Son.

The more I know of God, not as book knowledge stored in my head for future reference, but as a greater awareness that forms as I undergo on-the-job training in how to operate according to His Spirit, cooperating with Him and letting Him have His way, the more I have to tell (Romans 8:14).  As He becomes bigger and I become smaller, He takes up more of my consciousness and I start to think about Him more and more (Matthew 6:24) .  I realize everything points to Him and His majesty, and I can't help but sing His praises, taking after David who relished every opportunity to tell about God's greatness (Acts 4:20, Psalm 36:5-9).

If I want to boast, may I boast in all I am learning about God and who He is to me.

Unfailing Love.  There is much talk as of late about love.  I hear people say that people can't help who they love, that love makes the world go 'round, and that tolerance of one another's lifestyles is a way to demonstrate love.  While love between two people is a beautiful thing, it is far inferior to God's brand of love.

His love never runs out and bides its time, isn't rude, pushy or selfish and doesn't have a thin skin.  There is never a worry that God is taking inventory of all my failings because this goes against His character of love.  He's not happy to see me fall, but lives to witness me grasp the truth and rise out of the ashes.  With His love, I am strengthened and can face anything, never feeling doubt or despair, and I discover that there is no end to its power (1 Corinthians 13:3-8).  It's the greatest of all that exists in the here and now yet lasts forever (1 Corinthians 13:13), and it was best proven when Jesus died for sinners on the cross (Romans 5:8).  God's love gives me something to talk about (Psalm 89:1)! 

If I want to boast, may I boast in God's unfailing love (Isaiah 54:10)!

Justice and Righteousness.  Without God, I have no idea what is right and what is wrong.  If I depend upon my own sense of righteousness, I judge inaccurately every time, with me coming up smelling like a rose and everyone else stinking up to high heaven.  If it wasn't for God writing His law on my heart, I wouldn't know truth from fiction and I'd be destined to bear the consequences of my own destructive fate (Romans 2:15).  As it is, I'm dead in the depravity of my flesh, unable to stop from doing what I've been shown is wrong (Ephesians 2:1, Romans 7:21).

Thankfully, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, the penalty for my sin has been paid through His sacrifice on the cross (1 Peter 2:24, 1 Timothy 2:6).  In God's perfect sense of justice, my sin must be dealt with (Romans 6:23a, James 1:15).  It cannot go unpunished.  Out of love and obedience to His Father, Jesus took my sins upon Himself and His righteousness is then transferred from Jesus to me by faith (2 Corinthians 5:21).  In this way, God's justice is served and I'm made right with God, though sinful to the core.  I'm deemed as righteous by faith and I can now rest easy that I can live the rest of my days in peace, connected to Him.  No more must I fear death and the judgement that comes after (Hebrews 9:27), because Jesus stands as a advocate, pleading my case before the One whose wrath I fear with a holy respect (1 John 2:1-2).

If I want to boast, may I boast in the fact that God's justice has been satisfied and righteousness delivered through the person of Jesus Christ.

It's easy to talk about myself when my own selfish desires take up most of the scope of my vision.  My own plans, my accomplishments, my dreams are my favorite topic.  Since I'm so bent on tooting my own horn, I might be surprised to discover boasting is not a bad thing.  As long as I'm at the center of my world, however, I won't see any other reason to brag.  Once God replaces myself as the sun in my universe, I'll take every chance I can to tell others about all I've learned of His greatness, of His unfailing love and how He has satisfied His own sense of justice and given me His righteousness through repentance and faith in Jesus.  Now this is something about which I can boast without guilt!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him take up more of my vision.  

When do I focus only on myself?

How am I intent on tooting my own horn?