Boastful Pride
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. Let another man praise you and not your own mouth, a stranger and not your own lips.” Proverbs 27:1, 2
“There ain’t no horse that can’t be rode, and there ain’t no cowboy that can’t be throwed.” Old cowboy wisdom
Ever been around somebody that knows everything, that’s done everything, and loudly proclaims how good they are when then do it? Annoying. I worked with a guy on a ranch once that liked to brag about how good a bronc buster he was. Funny thing was I never saw him ride a rank horse. I also worked with a guy who was quiet and rarely spoke a word, and yet when he shook out a loop I never saw him miss. He never said a word about it but he was the best I’d ever seen.
Scripture talks often about the boastful man. Boasting is akin to pride. Boasting is self-praise. Boasting is arrogance and conceit all dressed up. Sometimes our boasting is cloaked in false humility. However, boasting is really a Band-Aid over our insecurities. It is the insecure individual who has to go around telling everyone all his virtues.
The Proverb is full of wisdom- Let another man praise you! Let a stranger sing your praise- but don’t stoop to praise yourself. All of us like to be praised and appreciated. Don’t try to bait that hook though by flaunting yourself.
When we praise ourselves we set ourselves up for a fall. Scripture tells us- “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” When we boast we ain’t never been throwed- you can be sure that’s the horse that will unseat you!
Because of grace,
Tim
