Weekly Devotion September 2, 2024

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission

Bible Study Verse  Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. NIV. Jeremiah 9:23-24 This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight," declares the LORD. NIV. 

Thoughts: Have you ever eaten crow? I have, and it doesn’t taste good. Now, for anyone who doesn’t know, I am not talking about eating crow literally. Eating crow is an idiom that means humiliation by being proven wrong after a strong stance or boastful words. I can specifically remember eating crow after the third day of turkey season when I was 18 years old. Before the season opened, I had patterned my shotgun, purchased the latest super-hot turkey shells, and practiced hitting a turkey head target. I boasted to several turkey-hunting buddies: I won’t miss any gobblers this year. Saturday, the opening day of spring turkey season 1986, just after fly-down time, I had a big gobbler in my lap and missed him. The next morning, I missed another gobbler. Then, on the third day, I missed another. I had three spent shells when I remembered my boastful words. Like I said, crow doesn’t taste good. 

Action Point: Believers: we should not be boastful about what we are going to do or what we are not going to do, nor brag about strengths we think we possess. Boasting is closely related to and can lead to pride. The Lord detests pride (Proverbs 16:5). On the contrary, if you boast, boast in the Lord. Remember that Jesus teaches humility and service to others. 

Sportsman’s Tip of the Day: Crows are sentinels in the outdoors. They can warn wild game that there is danger. Have you ever heard crows fighting a hawk? It’s quite a commotion. Likewise, when a hunter slips through the woods intending to go unnoticed by their quarry, a crow can alert deer, turkey, squirrels, and any game of the hunter’s presence. Freeze when you are slipping and see a flying crow; let them pass by before you make your next move.