Boasting

DEVOTION

PROVERBS

BOASTING

Prov 20:14

14 "It's no good, it's no good!" says the buyer; then off he goes and boasts about his purchase.

NIV

Isn’t it the truth! How often we have heard people tell us how cheap, or at want a savings they bought something. Why do we feel that we have to boast about getting something at a bargain? Are we afraid people will think we are dumb if we paid full price? Here we see a man claiming some defect in his desired purchase in order to bargain the price down. This is certainly a daily occurrence in the retail business of today. “This box has been opened, shouldn’t I get a discount?” “Look at this plant, it’s almost dead, it should be marked down”. There is a whole host of claims in an effort to have their purchase price reduced. Who ever heard of someone saying they bought a car without bargaining on the price? The scripture tells us that a labor is deserving of his wages. Of course in the scriptures which declare this truth they are about men who ministered being deserving of honor, their wages. Yet it holds true in business as well. How can any business survive if it does not make a profit? Do we think they have overpriced their goods? Do we haggle at the grocery Store? Of course not! Do we haggle at Starbucks? Not! What about at a restaurant? Maybe. But always when buying a car. It just seems we want to boast about getting a bargain on things that make us look either thrifty or frugal or good stewards. Maybe it is just because we have such a love for saving money. But this proverb is more about the boasting, which is not a good thing. Boasting about what we have, and especially how little we paid for it, is just due to a boastful heart. How can that be right in the eyes of God? Should we not be more about lifting others up, building each other up until we reach the unity in the faith? Should we not consider others before ourselves? Doesn’t the scripture admonish us to be humble? Boasting, about anything is simply against scripture.

James 4:13-17

3 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

NIV

If we boast about anything it should be Jesus.

Gal 6:14

14 May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

NIV

There are so many verses that admonish us not to be boastful, it would almost take a book rather than a small devotion. Let us simply live a quiet life of serving our Lord.