Boasting is not a habit many people find attractive. And yet most of us, if we’re honest, will have things about us that we’re proud of, that we think mark us out from other people, and that we secretly (or not so secretly!) hope others will notice and admire in us. But what does make a person truly noteworthy?
Our passage from Jeremiah this week says we should not boast in the things people most commonly take pride in, such as intellectual ability, physical strength or personal wealth. Instead, we should look to be marked out by a quality in short supply in Jeremiah’s day, one which is above all relational and moral – “let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.” (Jer 9:24)
Ed