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. I, the Lord, have spoken! (Jeremiah 9:23,24 NLT)
Evelyn and I just finished translating the third part of Bishop Macedo’s autobiography into English, and (spoiler alert) this is how the book ends. He ends with the verse above, one of his favorites in Bible, which for me reveals a great deal about the man.
We live in a world where people like to boast about what they have and what they’ve accomplished. Hollywood has a great deal of influence on American society, and the world, and yet how many of us would want to live the lives of the producers and actors of the movies we love? Sure they have money, fame and looks, but the large majority can’t stay married or beat their addictions, and an even greater majority don’t care to know about God or what He has to say about their lives. They won’t be able to take their Ferraris, mansions, fancy clothes, plastic surgery or fame with them when they die. If all they have to boast about is their talent, power, wealth, and looks, in truth they are living a lie and all they trust in will soon be taken away.
There is only one thing that we should boast about: that we truly know and understand God… that our lives are in His hands and that when our time comes to leave this world, we will go to be with Him. God is delighted when we truly know Him. Imagine that, we as insignificant human beings can cause Almighty God to feel delight!
We truly know God only when we understand that His love is unfailing, and that He loves justice and righteousness. If we live in constant doubt about His love and forgiveness, constantly wonder if we will ever see His justice, or if we are constantly trying to get away with unrighteous behavior that we know is displeasing to Him, we have clearly drifted away from Him and do not truly know Him. We can’t boast about a God that we are unsure will come through for us, or about a God that we are not dedicated to. If we do, we don’t TRULY know Him. No one would cheer for a team they care nothing about; fans cheer for teams they love and are dedicated to. If we boast about God, then He has to be our greatest treasure, and we have to be willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to be considered righteous in His eyes.
Let’s all reconsider what we boast about.
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