"Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the
mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches, but let
him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the
Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I
delight in these things.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
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| Kari Beougher |
As a grad school student desperately trying to finish up
this semester, this passage is especially convicting to me. While I certainly
want to do well in school and be a good steward of my time and work, I
recognize how easy it can be to let that desire become idolatrous and consuming.
Wisdom, might, riches, success, good grades- all these may seem good, and yet the
Lord delights in His people taking time to truly know Him. In Philippians 3:8,
Paul says, “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Paul truly believed earthly
successes, wisdom and riches to be completely worthless in comparison to knowing Christ.
One of my favorite lines from the popular song, "Knowing You," says, "All I once thought gain I have counted loss, spent and worthless now, compared to this: Knowing you, Jesus, knowing you, there is no greater thing!"
Do you consider knowing God to be the greatest thing? Have you taken time to know Him today? Do
you count all other things loss in light of knowing Him? Today may we lay aside our pursuit for wisdom, strength, wealth and success to seek God's face.
