July 8, 2026 Devo

July 8th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
This is what the LORD says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the LORD who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the LORD, have spoken!” – Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)
“God-Confidence”

I read an article that showed pictures of ironic signs. One that I thought was hysterical was on an outside sign at an elementary school. They were promoting an evening where they were going to address the rising rate of illiteracy in their community. The sign read “Leteracy Night, Dec 8, 5:00.” It could have been a humorous way of promoting the event. But then again, we’re often not nearly as smart as we think we are.
That’s the point that God points out through Jeremiah in our passage today. The cause of Israel’s demise was its pride. They believed they were wise. They believed that they were unconquerable. They believed that their prosperity would continue forever. That pride led to a complete undoing. The entire country became the property of foreigners. And they became slaves.
As I sat with this passage today, I realized something. I’m not nearly as self-confident as I used to be. I’m not confident in my ability to lead or pastor. I’m not confident in my ability to preach or teach. I’m not confident in my ability to withstand temptation, endure difficulty, or overcome any obstacle. I’ve failed enough along the way to discover I’m not all that I believed I was when I was younger. But while I don’t have confidence in myself, I have more confidence than ever in God.
Last Sunday, after preaching at Salem Church in Clayton, Ohio, one sweet person told me how touched they were by the message I shared. They said, “It is so obvious that the hand of God is on you.” I thanked them and smiled and said, “You’re exactly right. Because if anything good happened today, it was God and not me!”
Please hear my heart. This isn’t some sort of false piety. I’ve learned the hard way that I am not smart, not strong, and not invulnerable. Any impact I’ve made for eternity is because of God’s Spirit and grace and not because of me. Does this make sense to you? So I’ve traded my self-confidence for God-confidence. Because even though I no longer believe in me, I have all the faith in the world in Him! That’s God’s Word for you today.