Discover His heart: He desires that we know Him and that we reflect His goodness
I’m not sure what it is that causes us to brag about ourselves sometimes, perhaps a need for acceptance or a need to feel valued. For some it is a way of life, living large in their own eyes on a daily basis. I remember a conversation that took place several years ago where two men were trying to impress me with who was wearing the most dollars. They had no idea that $500 shoes, $300 sweaters and $1,000 watches really didn’t impress me much. I kept thinking of what a missionary could do with that money.
I’ve found the best way to counteract habitual braggarts is to beat them to the punch by complimenting and bragging on them before they have a chance to open their mouths. This makes everyone happy. In our reading today, God has an even better idea on the subject.
@ Jeremiah 9
“This is what the Lord says: ‘Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things.’” (23-24)
If we find it necessary to boast, the only thing worth boasting about it that we know God. In Hebrew, the term to know speaks of an intimate and personal relationship. When we are intimate with someone, we know how they think and act, and we seem to know what they are going to say before they say it because we are of one mind. Of course, the more we know God, the more we realize how little we know Him. It’s an ongoing ever-present quest for us as believers, but what a journey!
The more we know Him, the more we understand and reflect His divine attributes, and He summed them up so clearly for us in His words to Jeremiah – unfailing love, justice or fairness, and righteousness. The more we exhibit these traits in our lives, the more obvious it is that we are on the quest to know Him, yet we understand with Jeremiah, “Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power… Among all the wise people of the earth and in all the kingdoms of the world, there is no one like you.” (10:6-7)
In light of this, should we give up on our pursuit to know Him, to be like Him? No! Paul challenged us in Ephesians 5:1, “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are His dear children.” 2 Peter 1:3 gives us this hope, “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.” Most assuredly, no one will ever mistake us for God in our pursuit, but through Jesus, He has given us everything we need to Him resemble Him along the way.
Moving Forward: My prayer and song today, “More love, more power, More of You in my life. More love, more power, More of You in my life. I will worship You with all of my heart. And I will worship You with all of my mind. And I will worship You with all of my strength. For you are my Lord, You are my Lord.” (Jeff Deyo)
Tomorrow @ Mark 7-8
Phyllis Benigas 