“23 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; 24 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.”
Two brothers went away to college. One became a farmer, and the other turned out to be brilliant, wealthy lawyer. One day, the brother who was the lawyer visited the brother who was the farmer. He said, “I cannot believe that you have not made anything out of your life, and you are out here on a farm. Look at me! Look at what I have become! I have made something out of my life! I have a lucrative job on Wall Street! I am well invested in the stock market! And I have a whole lot of millionaires as my clients! And here you are, stuck in this farm! I wonder what the difference between us is.”
His brother, pointing to his wheat field replied, “You see brother! Look yonder! And you will notice two types of wheat in the field. Those that stand tall and straight up, and others that stand with their heads bent. Those that stand tall and high, are the ones that have nothing in their heads, while those that are bent, have full of wheat in its heads.
Many Christians walk tall and stand high. They have everything materially one could ask for. They think highly of themselves (Galatians 6:3a). But if truth were to be told, do not experience any contentment in life. They do not realize that “...when they’re nothing, they’re deceiving themselves (Galatians 6:3b). They live a life devoid of true joy and happiness, without any hope in God. Of such people, James warns, “For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits (James 1:11).” But there are others who appear to be walking bent externally, totally experiencing the joy of the Lord. The true test lies in the content of the heart, not on whether the pockets are full. May God enable us to glory only in the truth of knowing Christ.
Stephen Thomas (Bobby)
Stephen is an ordained Christian Minister and a Bible teacher who is a mentor to several youth leaders in Crossway Church and around the globe. He is a regular visiting Speaker in Crossway Church, New Delhi. He can be reached at stephenthomas6400@hotmail.com
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