DAILY HOPE DEVOTIONAL: NOVEMBER 25 FOOLISHNESS OF WRONG BOASTING (1) SCRIPTURE: PSALM 10: 3; JEREMIAH 9: 23

It will be good to see what the word “boast” means first. A popular Dictionary, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary” describes boast as “to praise oneself extravagantly in speech: speak of oneself with excessive pride.” Biblically, we have two kind of boasting. There is a good boasting which is boasting in the Lord. There is a wrong boasting which is boasting in self. This devotional is talking of “boasting in self.” The Bible says of the “wicked who boast in his heart’s desire”. This means “praise oneself or “vaunt”, that is vaunting oneself which means giving self vain glory (Psalm 10: 3).

The most domineering traits on mankind could be seeing oneself highly better in all things than others. We see it every day. We hear people shouting it everywhere. We contend with it in politics, and, unfortunately, we promote it in religions. The easiest circumstance to know who is proud of whom he/she is or who places self-values upon his or her personality most. In a simpler language, human beings are full of boasting of who they are or what they have greater than any others as well as how prosperous a family one comes from. One of the root causes of prejudice is self-boasting. We all might have taken boasting as natural ways of behaviour. But God hates wrong boasting of any kind. The Bible says God detests those who behave haughtily, which mean behaving arrogantly and boastfully.

Amongst Christians, there is foolishness in boasting about one’s intelligence, accomplishments, wealth and riches and so on. Among the various groups of people, we see how politicians boast of their powers, even as they stole peoples’ mandates. We hear religious people boasting of how highly and dangerously anointed they are. We hear the rich and wealthy boasting that they can kill and nothing will happen. We can hear members of witches and wizardries boasting in their powers openly these days. We can hear kidnappers and their associated gangs boasting in their strength and weapons. Armed bandits would visit a community, killed people and carted away foods and properties, and leave a message of their coming back. All these amount to foolishness. The Christian Holy Book said “Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches…” (Jer. 9: 23). Reason is that wrong boasting in self is foolishness. This will be discussed in the next series.

PRAYER

HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD, save us humans from empty boastfulness. FATHER GOD; forgive us our sins of boastfulness in all its foolishness in the name of Jesus Christ.

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