MOM WAS RIGHT
Proverbs 27:1-2 NKJV
1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
For you do not know what a day may bring forth.
2 Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth;
A stranger, and not your own lips.
I grew up in a very conservative Southern family. My parents, both born in the 1930s, still had a sense of Southern decorum about them, particularly my mother. And my mother was not a fan of bragging. Don't brag, she would say; no one likes a braggart. I don't know that my mom's advice still holds true today, but evidently, Solomon agreed with her.
Don't brag about tomorrow. I believe there is a difference between bragging about what you have not yet accomplished and speaking words of faith regarding your future. Speaking words of faith about your future is acknowledging God's grace and help with your life. You are basing your words on His words and His promises. So, without bragging, I can say the Lord is helping me, so I do not have to be afraid of the future. That is different from bragging about something that has not happened. In the Old Testament, an enemy king was bragging about what he was going to do to Israel. The king of Israel, Ahab, had this response: "So the king of Israel answered and said, "Tell him, 'Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’" 1 Kings 20:11 NKJV. The NLT version makes it even clearer, "The king of Israel sent back this answer: "A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.’" So the message is clear: don't brag about what you have not done.
And the second part of this wisdom from my mother and the proverbs is don't praise yourself. I heard a pastor once say that "if you don't toot your own horn, it shall not be tooted." I think the phrase "tooting your own horn" is a bit antiquated, but the message is contrary to what the proverbs say. Praising yourself just doesn't sound right. When someone else praises you, it sounds better.
APPLICATION
Over the years, I have heard people brag about what they were going to do. I have heard pastors brag about their big vision. Now, if it comes to pass, then good on them. But I have learned to appreciate those who don't talk about what they are going to do and just do it. Then the fruit speaks for itself.
And I admit I am not a fan of effusive praise. Again, I reference pastor's conferences where people were praised to the point it made me uncomfortable. The Scripture from Paul's letter to the Corinthians comes to mind: "… What do you have that God hasn't given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?" 1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT. I believe to give encouragement and appreciation is appropriate. But I want to reserve my praise for the Lord who deserves it the most. It's always proper to give our praise to Him.