The Lord says: “The wise shouldn’t boast about their wisdom or the strong boast about their strength or the rich boast about their riches. “Boasters” should boast about this: that they know me” (Jer.9:23).
Dear Jesus, this passage reminds me that there’s “bragging rights” and there’s “bragging rightly.” There’s boasting to get attention, and there’s a form of boasting that gives all the attention and adoration to you. That’s the kind of “bragging” I want to specialize in, Lord. I want to delight, first and foremost, in you.
Thankfully—and at times painfully, you anticipate everywhere we’re tempted to turn when you don’t meet our “needs,” medicate our pain, satisfy our cravings. Certainly “smarts,” strength, and “stuff” (Jer.9:23) are three of the main things we can look to for our identity and security—but that list goes on and on.
You could have added, “The ‘beautiful people’ shouldn’t boast in their flawless skin and non-drinkable 6-packs, and romantics shouldn’t rely on their intimacy-chops and magnetism. The sports-adroit shouldn’t crow about their pickle-ball awesomeness and rappelling skills, and the religiously committed are nuts to count on their Biblical knowledge and theological correctness.” Jesus, You. Are. So. Patient. With. Us.
What does “bragging rightly” look like? It’s the humble, unspeakable joy of realizing you see, know, and love us as much as Abba loves you, Jesus (Jn.15:9). It’s meaning, not just singing, “My hope is built on nothing less, (or more or other) than Jesus’ blood and righteous.” It’s the freedom to say with Paul, “Christ is my life and death will be gain” (Phil.1:21). It’s the Gospel-sanity of Asaph’s song, “You make heaven “heavenly,” Jesus, and when I’m alive to you and your love, my desire and dependence for things on the earth goes from a raging-10 to a grateful-2” (Psalm 73:25). Make it so, Jesus. Make it increasingly so. So Very Amen.