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Humans love to boast.
To boast means to brag, congratulate oneself, show off, crow about, toot our own horn, pat ourselves on the back, strut, flaunt, let others know how awesome we are. Who doesn’t like to boast about their accomplishments, conquests, victories and success? When you win, you brag, right? When you lose, not so much! Boasting can be good if we boast about the right things. But most of the time our boasting is misdirected. Our subject for this devotional is boasting. More precisely, what to boast about and what not to boast about. Our culture is confused when it comes to boasting. Many arrogant, narcissistic, self-promoting folks boast about things that should not be boasted about. My friends, God has a timeless and timely word for us that we desperately need to heed today regarding boasting. The prophet Jeremiah gives us clear biblical guidance concerning proper boasting. “Thus says the Lord, “Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth: for I delight in these things, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the Lord” means Almighty God has something serious to say and we better pay attention to it. Our Creator and Redeemer is THE EXPERT on human affairs. He knows what He is talking about in every dilemma man finds himself. Inspired by the Spirit of God, Jeremiah spells it out clearly. Man is not (“Let not”) to boast in his wisdom, his power or his wealth. Mankind, including you and me, is not to boast in who he is, what he has and what he can do. Truth be told, man’s wisdom, might and money will never bring peace to men’s hearts and the world they live in. No matter how smart you think you are, how much money you have in the bank, or what power position you hold, boasting about you is boasting in vain. Boasting in humanity, regardless of how many tout themselves as supposed “authorities” and “experts”, is short-lived and never ends well. You and I are to boast in the Lord. The creature is to give glory to His Creator, not himself. We are to boast in who the Lord is and what He does. The key to proper boasting lies in understanding and knowing God. When you read the op-eds (opinion editorials) in the secular press and listen to the babbling bobbleheads in the media, they all contain a glaring omission: The Lord and His Word on matters is conspicuously left out. The Lord Himself is the answer to our world’s woes. How do I know? The Word says so. You and I are to boast in the Lord’s loving-kindness, justice and righteousness. “Loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness” come from Him. This is what our weary, lost world needs most. These three virtues answer the cry of human hearts everywhere. I love this holy trio of godly virtues, don’t you? Jeremiah tells us that God delights (takes pleasure) in these things. You and I should delight in what the Lord delights in. We are to take pleasure in His lovingkindness, justice and righteousness. Just as He does. In my heart of hearts I long to delight in lovingkindness, justice and righteousness as my Lord and Savior does. In this historic hour in human history, all of us must sincerely humble ourselves before the Lord. We do not need what man can do. The evidence of man’s expertise is readily and sadly evident. You and I must search for and receive by faith what only Almighty God can do to save our souls, families, nation and world. If you want to feel safe and secure today, turn off the tube and tune into God’s Word. Unplug media. Get the information and inspiration you need from the Bible, not the anti-Christ, anti-biblical words of the world. It does make a difference what you feed your spirit with. Beloved, fellow Christian do not fear what man is doing. Beware of bragging about what man brags about. Reverence Almighty God. Stand in awe of Him and His holiness. Humble yourself. Choose to do His good, acceptable and perfect will. (See Romans 12:1-2). It is a biblical fact: people who boast in anyone or anything but the Lord will end up toast in the long run! Who are your boasting in? Yourself, other people, or the Lord? Make it a personal priority to boast in the Lord in 2021. “But he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord, for not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.” II Corinthians 10:17 “Some boast in chariots, and some boast in horses, but we will boast in the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7 A Word For Your Week: Make your boast in the Lord and what He boasts about. Quietness.
Stop whatever you are doing right now. That’s right, stop! Wherever you may be, turn off music. Smart phones. I-pads. Remove all technological distractions. Shoo people out of the room. If it is genuinely quiet, and you are uncomfortable, then you need to learn the benefit of quietness. Few people today, including many Christians, do not understand the value of being quiet before the Lord. Burnout is at all-time high levels. Why? Because our run and gun, hurry and scurry, pressure-packed, stress producing lifestyles sap our energy, wearing us out and clouding our perspective. The prophet Isaiah wrote “In quietness and confidence will be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 Strength comes from quietness and confidence. I think Isaiah knew this from firsthand experience as well as being inspired by the Holy Spirit to write it down for you and me. Isaiah was strong in the Lord because his confidence was bolstered and his faith increased as he waited quietly before the Almighty God he served. Isaiah’s ministry was very demanding. God used him to call a rebellious, disobedient nation back to their righteous roots. The prophet was all too familiar with high stress days when the people ignored his message. Isaiah was faithful to his call because in the midst of the madness of trying to reach a spiritually deaf audience, he retreated to quiet places to receive strength from the Lord. Quiet, secluded places ministered to God’s minister. Maybe you don’t need to steal away to a secluded, quiet place on a regular basis. But I do. My personality, the nature of my ministry, and the normal stresses, pressures and strains of life disrupt my peace and deplete my spiritual/emotional strength. Quiet places invite me to come apart so I do not fall apart! I am in rather good company because often Jesus slipped away to a secluded place to pray and be quiet before His Father. Jesus set a practical example for managing stress! “And after bidding the disciples farewell, Jesus departed to the mountain to pray” (Mark 6:46). The Lord understood that life stresses us out. His life was no exception. He ministered for three years. Multitudes sought Him for teaching and healing, producing a constant drain on His spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical energy. As a human like us, His resources needed replenished. More people pressure. More ministry. Not good. I believe a major stressor for Jesus was dealing with the disciples. What a crew! There are times I am certain, shaking His head, He looked to heaven asked the Father “Why in the world did you give me this dozen guys who I have to teach over and over again about faith?” Honestly, you and I are not much different than the original disciples. I am sure we stress Jesus out from time to time with our struggle with unbelief and doubt. If the Son of God needed to get away to a quiet place, I certainly need to! The Benefits of Quiet Places
Nature is my favorite place. Out of the way parks. Hidden lakes. Forests. Pastures. Hilltops overlooking scenic valleys. All of these are my favorite quiet places. Gentle breezes blowing across my face, melodic birds chirping in the distance, hawks soaring overhead, babbling brooks splashing at my feet, stillness that whispers to my spirit …. aahh I am ready to shut off this computer and go right now! Quiet places….secluded places….makes for peaceful, stress-free faces! Where is your quiet place? Where do you retreat to to be strengthened in the Lord? When was the last time you went to a secluded place, got quiet before the Lord and soaked up His love for you? If it has been too long, go get quiet. Find a quiet place today. Enjoy undistracted time with your Lord and Savior. “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:1-3a A Word For Your Week: Get alone with God in a secluded, quiet place and soak up His presence. Quietness. Confidence. Strength.
I vote for all three of the above in my Christian life. How about you? Isaiah 30:15 states “In quietness and confidence will be your strength.” Christians everywhere desire to be strong. You and I should be strong in the Lord. But how do we do that? Are there keys to experiencing Christ’s strength in our daily lives? I believe there are. Two of these keys appear in our verse for this week. The Lord gave me this devotional while I was happily perched on a jagged rock in the woods overlooking a scenic lake near my home. I go often to this secluded place to hide out and be alone with the Lord. In this natural setting the only distractions are cool breezes, warm sunshine, singing cardinals, an occasional, furry tailed squirrel crossing the trail, majestic hawks soaring overhead, frolicking fish jumping in the blue-green water and flocks of geese honking their way to their next destination. The setting is so wonderfully quiet that all I can hear is my heartbeat. I love it! Why do I go to this off the beaten path place? I need quietness in my life. This refuge of near deafening silence restores my soul. Have you noticed how busy and loud life is? Life screams at us at every turn, drowning out quiet times and silent moments that restore our soul and renew our strength. Think about it. When was the last time you had a computer free, I-phone less, text message, Twitter free moment or two? How long has it been since you sat silently, that’s right silently, quietly and listened for God’s voice? Isaiah tells us that IN quietness and confidence is our strength. Our strength comes from times of quietness before the Lord where our confidence is renewed in Him. James 4:8 invites us to “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Life has a way of wearing us down and burning us out. You and I need to draw near to hear the still, quiet voice of God. The Holy Spirit speaks and is heard best when we are not distracted by other voices. Too often many of us experience weakness in our Christian life because we do not quiet ourselves before the Lord and wait on Him to renew our confidence and strength. It is way too easy to excuse ourselves from the discipline of waiting on the Lord in quietness and confidence. Our enemy Satan loves it when we run and gun, scurry and hurry down the road of life, neglecting times of stillness and quietness before God where our souls are restored. The devil delights in you and me running on empty, hanging in there, merely surviving, hoping to get through another day. That is not the abundant life the Lord Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). You and I rob our souls of restoration, renewal and revival when we refuse to be still before the Lord. I want to suggest to you that if you do not have quiet times with the Lord, you will not be a confident Christian and you will lack strength for the day’s battle. Here are some simple, time-proven ideas for being quiet before the Lord.
I met with someone recently who is burned out. Life is not fun right now. They said that they have trouble being still. I told them that trouble always follows those who do not take time to be still before the Lord. Burnout or strength. The choice is ours. Strength comes from quietness and confidence in the Lord. “Be still (quiet) and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet (still) waters; He restores my soul.” Psalm 23:2-3a A Word For Your Week: Be quiet in Christ to be strong. One of Satan’s chief strategies is to trap and keep people in a state of confusion, frustration, disorder and unrest in their souls.
The enemy of our soul knows that when you and I are restless, we lack composure and confidence in dealing with life’s difficulties. Satan takes advantage of people who “lose it” and “fall apart” under trial. Trials turn into triumph when we trust in the Lord. Read Psalm 131. (Only three verses!) David reminds God’s people to trust in Him with childlike trust. Victory over the enemy and adversity comes through a calm, composed, confident, Christ-like response to the evil one’s assault. In verse 1, David confesses that his heart is not arrogant, his eyes are not full of pride, and that he doesn’t go after things that are too difficult for him. The clear inference is that he keeps himself humble and trusts in the Lord to help him handle life’s hassles. In verse 2, David paints a precious, priceless picture of a mother and nursing child. “Surely I have composed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child rests against his mother.” There is nothing sweeter or more peaceful than the angelic face of a little baby resting close to its mother after being fed. A weaned child’s serene countenance conveys innocence, peace, composure and dependence. A confident trust that mother will always be present to meet the dependent child’s needs. In verse 3 David states in verse 3 “my soul is like a weaned child within me.” Wow! Did you catch what he said? God’s children can be like a nursing/weaned child on the inside when life on the outside is challenging and chaotic. How can this be possible? David tells us how. He states that “I” have “composed and quieted my soul”. The psalmist was proactive in times of difficulty. When tempted to fall apart under pressure, he got quiet and composed himself. God did not quiet him down or hit him with a wave of composure. David quieted himself before the Lord. He composed himself (got his act together in a peaceful manner) and received confidence from the presence of God. David composed and quieted himself—and so must we. No one can quiet my soul for me. I must do it. The peace of God is mine when I draw close to the God of peace. In verse 3, David exhorts Israel to “hope in the Lord”. This hope in the Lord is for today and every day. God’s people can always hope in the Lord when they put child-like trust in Him and the promises of His Word. What does Psalm 131 have to do with me and living as a Christian in 2021? Everything. We live in a frantic, frenetic, frustrating time that knows very little of composure and quietness. Run and gun is the order of the day. Hurry and scurry produce worry and fury. When we rush, we can’t hear the hush of God. The Lord is in the quiet places of life. Psalm 23:2-3 states that our Shepherd leads us by still, not raging waters. There He restores our souls. The still, small voice of the Lord is what the distressed prophet Elijah needed to hear on the mountainside when he was depressed (I Kings 19:12). Quiet and rest produces composure, confidence, and courage to seek and receive God’s best. Bottom line: You and I need soul rest to avoid burnout and breakdown. Quietness before the Lord is tremendous therapy. THERE IS POWER IN QUIET CONFIDENCE. Three Simple Steps to Quiet Confidence 1. Get alone with God daily for fifteen minutes. Absolutely no distractions. (Cell phones included!) Use the time to listen for His still, small voice. 2. Read a soothing Psalm each day. Begin with Psalms 100-150. God’s Word will refresh, restore and renew your soul. 3. Write down a few thoughts from your quiet time with God. Review and reflect upon them when life’s stress level rises. Our hope and help are in the Lord. That is why you and I can handle life with composure and quiet confidence. Make a decision to arrange your lifestyle so that you walk by faith in quiet confidence. “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15 “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have refuge.” Proverbs 14:26 A WORD FOR YOUR WEEK: Get quiet before God, soak up His love, and then walk in quiet confidence throughout your day. |
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