Have you ever felt really proud to know someone?
I’m thinking of growing up with someone who becomes a celebrity. I have one such person in my life. She’s not a close friend. But I really did know her before she was on television and in movies.
And sometimes, when she comes up in conversation, or when people are sharing about spotting a famous athlete in the airport or bumping into an actor in a coffee shop, I’ll bring her up. I enjoy the reaction. Somehow I think it makes me look good that I know this semi-famous person. As if proximity (vague proximity) to fame makes me famous or important.
Boast in the Lord
I noticed recently that Paul writes this little line at the end of the letter to the Corinthians: “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” Honestly, I read it and it didn’t mean much to me. But then I saw that it was from a passage in Jeremiah, so I looked up the reference, and here’s the full verse:
“Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Name-Drop That I Know the God of Love
What if I wanted to name-drop the fact that I know God? God, the one who is famous for love. The one who takes tremendous joy and pleasure in caring for vulnerable people.
I am much more likely to boast—in a humble brag sort of way—in wisdom, might, or wealth. And yet I also love the thought of becoming someone who boasts only in knowing the steadfast love of God.
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