Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Everyone has someone in their lives who is tough to find gifts for. Either they have everything or they delight in nothing. I know of someone who delights in nothing. Year after year I would try to find something that would make his eyes light up, something he would be glad to have, and would use. And year after year, I would receive a bland,”Thanks,” and then watch him set it aside. It was frustrating and always put a bit of a damper on the occasion.
When we think about giving something to God, it can seem similarly frustrating. He certainly has everything at His disposal. But the fact is, it’s possible to give God something that would set His eyes alight, because God delights in certain things. How wonderful is that? He isn’t merely Someone who looks at our little gifts, pats us on the head and says, “Thanks.” When we give Him something from our heart, He is moved with emotion. His heart swells. He is positively delighted, over the top, smiling from ear to ear.
The word “delights” in the scripture above comes from the Hebrew word “chaphets” and it means “to like someone or something very, very much.” God’s emotions are not lukewarm in any way. Any gift we would give Him from our heart would positively warm Him from His head to His toes. That includes the heartfelt prayers of thanksgiving that are offered to Him on Thanksgiving Day. And those birthday cakes for Jesus so many moms make on Christmas Day. And the beautiful nativities people set out in their yards, to show the world that they love Him. And our tithes that we give Him in faith and with a grateful heart, knowing that He will continue to provide for us.
Remember, this is the God who numbers the hairs on our heads. The One whose eyes never leave us. The One who calls us His inheritance. The One who collects our prayers upon a golden altar in heaven (Rev. 8). And the One who collects our tears in a bottle (Psalm 56:8). He adores us. We are His beloved.
And as the scripture states above, one of His favorite gifts from us is when we can truly boast that we understand and know Him. The only way we can boast that and delight Him is when it’s true, when we can honestly say that we seek Him on a regular basis, spend time with Him, and read His word. When we can be talking with someone and tell them, “I know God, and He is positively amazing! He is the love of my life! He’s my very breath. I can’t imagine life without Him.”
Wouldn’t that thrill anyone? What if you overheard your spouse saying that to someone else about you? Wouldn’t that be the best present ever? Wouldn’t you be walking on air? Imagine what it does to the heart of God!
This Thanksgiving, let’s draw near to our wonderful heavenly Father and loving Lord Jesus. Let’s know and understand Him. And let’s boast to someone about how much we love Him. Let’s thrill Him to His toes.
