15 July | Teens
«Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord.» Jeremiah 9:23, 24
At school, there are always those students who stand out for being the best in their class, getting the best grades. In our parents’ work, there are also people who pride themselves on being very good at what they do, their skills and achievements. This group of people tend to be prouder... But Jeremiah 9:23-24 teaches us a very important lesson about what we should really value. The text says, “’Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.”
This verse shows us that no matter how smart, strong, or rich we are, the most important thing is to know God and understand His character. The wisdom we have here in this world may not mean much to God, because He is so much wiser than any of us. And our strength? Well, God is the strongest of all and will never change. What about having a lot of stuff? That does not guarantee we will be happy. And we know that everything we see is His! So what really matters is to know God, because He is eternal and every-thing He gives us is much more valuable than anything fleeting we may have here on Earth.
Take Action
Choose one Bible verse to memorize each week. This verse should be about knowing God, or about how we can live according to His teachings. By the end of the year, you will have memorized 52 verses that will help you glory in the knowledge of the Lord.