in Jeremiah 9:23 & 24;
"Thus saith the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty
man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth
glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the LORD which
exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I
delight, saith the LORD."
Almighty God delights when we glory in Him and not in ourselves. What do we have in
ourselves that makes us think that we deserve any glory anyway? This verse points out
the uselessness of mans wisdom, his might and his riches. They cannot possibly compare
with the wisdom, might and riches of the Lord.
Worldly wisdom:
1 Corinthians 3:18 & 19a "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you
seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For
the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
We cannot please God with worldly wisdom, if we try, we just show how foolish and
unwise we really are. Worldly wisdom is the vehicle of Satan to entice and ensnare man
into believing that he does not need God. Man believes that he is capable of standing on
his own, of making decisions about his eternal destiny on his own...in the end he and
he alone is responsible for the consequences of these lofty, self-centered "wise," corrupt
decisions. It's only when we realize that God and God alone has the wisdom to direct
our paths that we truly become wise.
Proverbs 2:1,2,6 "My son, if thou wilt receive My words, and hide my command-
ments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine
heart to understanding: For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh
knowledge and understanding."
Proverbs 3:13 "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth
understanding."
Worldly might:
Psalms 73:26 "My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my
heart, and my portion for ever."
Psalms 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The
LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid."
King David had Godly wisdom and this enabled him to see that any strength he had
in his life came from God. This is quite a statement because David was a great
warrior, but he knew and testified that the "Lord is the strength of my life."
Where do we draw our strength from? Do we trudge through each day, frantically
trying to face challenges and trials in our own strength. May I tell you something...
you will fail in these struggles. You will end up defeated and discouraged at the end
of any day in which you try to accomplish anything in your own strength. If the valiant
King David needed the strength of the Lord, then may I suggest that we do also.
Acknowledging our need to rely on God's strength, is exercising Godly wisdom. Once
we are relying on His wisdom, we will see the need to rely on His strength.
Isaiah 26:4 "Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is
everlasting strength."
Worldly riches:
Proverbs 27:24a "For riches are not for ever:"
Proverbs 28:11a "The rich man is wise in his own conceit;"
We see a few truths right off about riches; first they do not last. We see this so much in
society today; someone has it all, then a reverse comes in business and suddenly they've
lost everything. In some cases they cannot deal with the loss of their riches and end up
committing suicide. You cannot count on the riches of this world. People who seem to
have everything are some of the most unhappy people you can find. Money does not
buy happiness. When you have money, you always are wanting more, you are never
satisfied with what you already have.
Also those who are rich, pretty much have a "look what I've done to achieve all this"
attitude. Pride is very much a part of the make up of the rich. It was all MY hard work;
it's what I accomplished; God is nowhere in their thoughts.
Money is not bad in itself. 1 Timothy 6:10a "For the love of money is the root of all
evil:" It's the love of the money that is evil, money becomes an idol in their life, it takes
pre-eminence over all else, including God. Anything that replaces God in our lives is
evil. If the Lord has blessed you with earthly riches, make sure that you honor Him with
it, and that you give Him the thanks and glory for it.
We need to glory in the riches of the Lord, not in worldly riches
Ephesians 1:7 "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness
of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
Ephesians 2:4 & 5 "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith
He loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us together with
Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."
Colossians 2:2 "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in
love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledge-
ment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ."
This is just a drop in the bucket of riches that we have in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh,
we are rich in God; the riches of this world will decay and be no more, but our
heavenly riches will abide forever. How rich we are!
What are you glorying in today. Are you caught up in the world and all its sinful,
corrupt trappings of wisdom, might and riches. Or are you tapping into the unending
heavenly supply of true wisdom, might and riches. Check your source and then make
sure you are glorying in the Lord and being a delight to His heart.
Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul He fills, and every faithless murmur stills;
To God all praise and glory!
What God's almighty power hath made, His gracious mercy keepeth,
By morning glow or evening shade, His watchful eye ne'er sleepeth;
Within the kingdom of His might, Lo! all is just and all is right;
To God all praise and glory!
The Lord is never far away, but, through all grief distressing,
An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing;
As with a mother's tender hand, He leads His own, His chosen band;
To God all praise and glory!
Thus all my toilsome way along I sing aloud His praises,
That all may hear the grateful song, my voice unwearied raises;
Be joyful in the Lord, my heart! Both soul and body bear your part;
To God all praise and glory!
Johann J. Schultz
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