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?   

  

Treasure Wisdom

"Does not wisdom call out?

Does not understanding raise her voice?

At the highest point along the way,

where the paths meet, she takes her stand;

beside the gate leading into the city,

at the entrance, she cries aloud:

'To you, O people, I call out;

I raise my voice to all mankind.

You who are simple, gain prudence;

you who are foolish, set your hearts in it.'"

Proverbs 8:1-5

There is much to value in this world:  An education.  Success.  Wealth.  Popularity.  Meaning.  While it is not popular to treasure godly wisdom, the farsightedness God possesses, His ability to see the big picture; there is a reason to hold as dear such a prize.

True Riches.  It can be tricky to pick out the valuable from the worthless.  My flesh leads me wrong every time, leaning me toward what seems so important like money in the bank, a full social calendar, or a well-respected and enjoyable career.  But will it last?  In the end, when I stand before God, will He count all I invest in as eternally dear?  Or will it be categorized as something that will pass away with the rest of the temporary (2 Peter 3:10, Matthew 6:19-21)?

Godly wisdom is considered as one of the eternally valuable possessions I can treasure.  Seeking advice from godly counsel, humbling myself to joyfully receive the hard words of discipline God often speaks, and desiring God's best for me even when it seems less than desirable at the time are all examples of how I can model my heart's desire to gain prudence and insight for living.  I will never be sorry I went after such treasure.

When I pursue wisdom and recognize it as truly valuable, I'll find when I get to the end of my life that it is worth more than all the gold in the world (Proverbs 8:9-21).

Preliminary.  "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."  (Genesis 1:1)  If I were to ask, "What was the first thing God created?" most of us would answer with great confidence, "Light." (v 3)  Unfortunately, we would all be wrong.

Wisdom was there first (Proverbs 8:22-31).  It was God's wisdom that created all things, and He first brought it forth into His creation before the first beam of light shone through the darkness.  Therefore, when God made all things, wisdom was already there, waiting to be sought after by man.  With such an important place in the order of all things, I must see that to respect wisdom and hold it as most appreciated among all He made shows I have an understanding of God's value system.

When I pursue wisdom and recognize it as truly valuable, I have shown my comprehension of God's priorities.

Life and Favor.  There are many philosophies which I can follow in life, a variety of viewpoints from which I can see my way through each day.  Some say to pay attention to daily needs and the rest will fall into place.  Others say to live right and it will come back to you threefold.  But only one says to seek after wisdom in order to find life and favor.

While I could simply look for what seems wise to my own eyes, I could also dedicate my days to following Jesus and paying attention to the lead of the indwelling Spirit to highlight what comes from Him.  When I do the latter, I'll find the abundant life Jesus came to give me and the favor of God I need to find His best for me (John 10:10, Psalm 5:12).

When I pursue wisdom and recognize it as truly valuable, I will find the life Jesus died for me to live and His unmerited grace overflowing in my life.

There is so much to value in this world, but as a follower of Jesus Christ my priorities must be different.  For one who is saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ, I can adopt God's value system.  When I do, I'll discover the true wealth that is found in His wisdom, that godly understanding and prudence existed before anything else was created and thus is the foundation of all things, and that the full life and favor of God I need comes from holding His knowledge and insight as dear.  When I treasure godly wisdom, I'll discover God's best for me.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to look for His wisdom throughout each moment.

When do I value worldly treasures more than I do insight for godly living?

How do I scorn biblical understanding as less than important as compared to success or financial security?

Get Rich Scheme

In honor of today's 800th post on 

Writings on the Doorframe, 

I am offering free signed copies of my book: 

If you would like to be entered in the drawing, 

please email me at boosehome@aol.com
or leave me a comment below 

by the end of the day on Sunday, March 22nd.  

Winners will be announced on 

Monday, March 23rd!

"Praise the LORD.

Blessed are those who fear the LORD,

who find great delight in his commands.

their children will be mighty in the land;

the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in their houses,

and their righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,

for those who are gracious 

and compassionate 

and righteous."

Psalm 112:1-4

There are hundreds of get-rich schemes.  Most everyone has dreamed of winning the lottery, scoring a huge sum of money, or suddenly finding themselves with resources beyond measure.  As a teenager, my friends would sometimes ask what I would do if I won a million dollars, a seemingly unfathomable amount.  The question would get me to think about what it would be like to find myself suddenly rich.  How would I live?  What would I buy first?  Would it change my lifestyle, my habits, my circle of friends?

While it may be fun to daydream of sudden wealth, it won't happen for most of us.  Still, it doesn't stop people from buying into methods designed to bring about material prosperity, but there is only one lifestyle that bestows heavenly treasures.  When I respect and revere God enough to walk on His obscure, narrow path, submitting to His will for my life and worshiping Him in the choices that I make, I will find a kind of wealth that is unsurpassed in worth.

Legacy.  The bank account can dwindle, inheritances can amount to very little, and family heirlooms can subsist of a few sentimental items, but there is still a treasure that can be left to future generations that is priceless.  While I can't always control how much worldly wealth that can be passed down to my children, I can focus on a more valuable inheritance; faith in Jesus Christ.

When I devote my life to Christ, letting Him live through me, keeping in step with the Spirit and allowing Him to control my life, I am leaving a legacy of faith behind for my offspring (Galatians 5:16).  I can be assured that generations to come will live as salt and light in the world, impacting it for Christ selflessly and joyously (Matthew 5:13-16).  Strongholds of sin and Satan that I tear down now will benefit those coming behind as the generational transfer of sins throughout the years and demonic activity that plagues my extended family will be vanquished.  My descendants will benefit from my current victories in Christ.  

My legacy of faith in Christ is a rich inheritance I am leaving for future generations.

Riches.  There are some houses I walk into and feel instantly at home.  Decor and color schemes can be mimicked, styles of furniture can be copied, and similar furnishings purchased, but the riches found in these homes only come from the bond the owners have with Christ.

When I invest my life in my relationship with Jesus, I will find many treasures building up at home.  I'm not talking about the stuff that I see in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens that make so many homes pleasing to the eye and comfortable to live in.  Rather, I'm referring to the riches of a strong family who thrives, healthy relationships that grow stronger through the years, and peace that permeates the very air and cannot be duplicated nor understood.  These are the profits of heavenly investments.

My faith in Christ earns the dividend of a rich home life that has nothing to do with the house.

Light.  Life is not easy, let's just get that straight.  No matter how I live my life, who I follow, or what religious structure I adhere to, I will have hard times.  In fact, I have heard many say that dedicating one's life to Christ actually makes life more difficult as we live in opposition to the world (John 16:33, John 15:19).

The good news is that in Christ, I have the promise of a beacon of hope shining in the darkness.  No matter how bad things get, God's grace and mercy will prevail, overflowing into my life to enable me to succeed (Hebrews 4:16).  I know He will get me through whatever I face.  In addition, I can rest assured that He is always at work on my behalf, fighting my battles for me and bringing about perfect justice.  In these ways, no matter how bad things get, I have the hope of His Light leading me through the darkness.

My faith in Christ means I'll never be left to my own devices because no matter how dark my days get, I will always have His Light to guide me.

While I could go after worldly riches, I'd rather pursue something more lasting.  Therefore, I will run after Jesus, making Him my Lord and Savior.  When I do, I will reap many rewards.  I will find a rich legacy of faith passed on through the generations that earns for me a home filled with eternal riches and a Light that shines in the darkness.  In these ways, I'm wealthy beyond compare.  Now this is a get-rich scheme I can buy into!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to place all my hope in Him.

When do I dream of earthly riches when the heavenly ones are so much more valuable?

How am I focused on the wrong goals in life?