Tuesday, December 11, 2012
What to Boast About.
I woke up this morning with something heavy on my heart. Decisions always have consequences and I am fearing some unpleasant consequences from some past decisions. The most drastic of the consequences would probably be to my pride so we are not talking earth shattering stuff here. Nonetheless, I was in need of the Father's help, guidance, and wisdom so I spent time in prayer asking for "my will" submitting to His will and seeking some insight from the Lord.
Later today as I was doing some reading I came across one of my favorite passages from Scripture...Jeremiah 9:23-24. "Let not the wise man glory/boast in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory/boast in his might, let not the rich man glory/boast in his riches; but let him who boasts, boast of this, that he understands and knows Me..."
In my circumstance these words brought conviction. The verses indicate that we are to find our source of joy and sense of value/worth/importance in "understanding and knowing the Lord". It hit me that such was not the case for me. I could see that in my life there are circumstances in which I have, in the past, worked or am presently working subtly and yet sinfully to find joy and significance in being wise, powerful, and rich. God was graciously, lovingly, and yet clearly revealing to me that the consternation I felt this morning, the concern I had was rooted in misplaced dependency and idolatry. Were my relationship with the Lord--knowing that I am part of His glorious family--been the truest source of joy and provided the full sense of importance in my life then the unintended and unpleasant consequences I was distraught over would be seen as seriously inconsequential, trivial, and minor. I was deeply saddened to see how past decisions were, at their core, made in order to bring Me joy and a sense of worth from the very things Jeremiah says I should not glory in. A deep sense of sorrow, of contrition, of sadness over my idolatrous actions and over failing to glory fully in "understanding and knowing the Lord". How foolish for me to engage in efforts that I thought would bring joy and satisfaction somewhere other than in the Lord.
In my Father's gracious working He brought me comfort along with conviction. Comfort in leading me to see the sinful approach to life, in pointing out to me that I have, and do, work to find joy and value other than from being a member of His family. While I was convicted of my sin, asked for forgiveness, and sought His help to keep me boasting in Him, I found great comfort in knowing I'm forgiven and in realizing that regardless of how things turn out in the situation I was concerned about, my source of joy and sense of worth are found only in "KNOWING HIM." I will only fear consequences that strip me of joy and a sense of importance, so if my joy and significance are found in KNOWING HIM then I need not fear a lack of wisdom, power, or riches.
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