Muhammed Ali is one of the greatest boxers of all time. He made his living beating boxing's best during the height of boxing's popularity. Ali is well known for many things, including his epic fights, his religious name change, and even his political leanings. However, more than almost anything else, Ali will be remembered for his wit and distinct ability to spin a memorable phrase.
Ali's perennial quotability has pervaded so much of society that even children of the digital generation say things like, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Or, "I am the greatest, I said that even before I knew I was." And, "I figured that if I said it enough, I would convince the world that I really was the greatest." Needless to say, Ali understood the art of self-promotion that paved the way for generations of champions around the world.
To be sure, we live in a world of self-promotion. One can barely spend anytime watching television or scanning the web without seeing some sort of self-exaltation or another. And while it can be a funny thing to do in the company of friends, the idea of boasting about oneself is a serious ordeal that requires our attention.
The apostle Paul speaks about boasting to the Corinthian church. Paul was addressing the Corinthian's propensity to boast about themselves when he wrote, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17)." It would seem that the idea of arrogance and boasting was as significant an issue to the 1st-century Church as it is today. Paul's point is that one cannot boast about themselves and God. It is either one or the other.
But this concept did not originate with Paul. The prophet Jeremiah, writing centuries before Paul, wrote this prophecy, "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord (Jer. 9:23-24).'"
The heart of the matter is what do we boast in. If we boast in ourselves or something other than God, then we are taking away what is so rightfully God's, namely our worship and praise. Moreover, when we lift up ourselves or someone/thing else into the high place in our eyes, then we are usurping God's place at the center of our hearts and we are committing idolatry.
Boasting stems from worth. We boast because we feel proud of something present within ourselves that we value. If we understand boasting in this way, we will recognize that to boast in anything other than God and our knowledge of Him means that we are esteeming something that is less than He is. To be sure, the thing of highest value in our lives is God. Anything that would take that place is a counterfeit illusion.
Therefore, we should boast only of and in Him. This is what Jeremiah and Paul are talking about. So, when we would feel inclined to raise our hands at our own adulation and like Ali say, "I'm the greatest," may we pause to think of the reality of our words. Let us then turn to God and only to God, and if we are to boast may it only be in Him!
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