ESOCS Devotional 10 July 2022
TEXT: JEREMIAH 9:23–10:7
MEMORY VERSE: “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise loving-kindness, judgement, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9: 24 KJV
0 And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. 11 But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. 12 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted lace ”
One rejoices with pride about something. This can be either good or bad. In a negative sense, the same word is translated as “to boast”. Rather than being proud about something we have done, we ought to glory in what God has done. Man has no reason to boast before God: “No flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29).
What you praise or glory in says a lot about what’s really important in your life. And God has a word for us here in these verses about what we should and should not boast or glory in: Now, all three of these things taken together cover many of the things that people are tempted to put their hope in: Their wisdom or mental ability, their physical beauty or strength and their money and possessions. These are the things that a lot of people “glory” in or what comforts them, or make them happy when they think about their life.
Someone might say, but wouldn’t wisdom be good? He’s saying do not glory or boast or trust in your own wisdom. One of the things God has shown us is that human wisdom without God is not reliable.
Rather than glorying in the ever-shifting wisdom of this world, we should seek wisdom from above, wisdom from God, the wisdom of loving-kindness, justice and righteousness. “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Salvation by grace excludes boasting (1 Cor. 1:31).
Man has no reason to boast before God. Bragging is sin. We may not glory in worldly wisdom, worldly power or worldly wealth because all that we have is a gift from God. We boast only in God’s salvation by grace. As Christians, we can say with Paul that we have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God (Rom. 15:17). This is what we were made for. We were created to KNOW GOD. That is our purpose for existence. This is what salvation is all about: KNOWING GOD. HE is our goal; HE is to be our glory.
- As we learn to see how God delights in us, we, in turn, should learn to delight in Him.
- Father, thank you for taking delight in me for your Son’s sake and your glory.
Read Other ESOCS Devotional here
FURTHER READING: Job 29:11–18–28; Acts 9:26–31
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ESOCS Devotional 10 July 2022
