Proverb for Today

Most men will proclaim every man his own goodness, but who can find a faithful man? (Proverbs 20:6, MEV)

Devotional Thought

One of my personal pet peeves is posturing, when people act a certain way to impress or sometimes go so far as to mislead.

It’s obnoxious.

Maybe in a meeting at work, or with a group of friends, natural conversation is flowing—until that one person starts feeling insecure. So they pipe up, taking over the conversation, and try to reinforce their own ego by “one-upping” the story that was just told, or changing the subject to a recent success they had.

Eye. Roll.

Then add to that all of our social media platforms, and suddenly you’ve got people everywhere grandstanding, showing off their highlight reels and “perfect” lives.

Baloney.

But before I’m too hard on them, I’ve got to be honest. I do it too. I’m just as guilty. As much as I hate being around other people who act this way, I act the same way at times. I think we all do.

Today’s thought from Proverbs is a simple one. Everybody proclaims, shouts, declares, their own goodness, success, self-worth. But what you say about yourself to boost your ego doesn’t matter. Faithfulness does.

If we’re honest, we don’t have the same respect for overnight success as we do for success that came after decades of consistency. We place inherent value on longevity, diligence, consistency, and faithfulness.

Today, focus on being faithful. It speaks for itself.

Reflect and Respond

• • Why do we value faithfulness so highly? Think through the different aspects of faithfulness in your assessment.
  • Is there a specific place or group of people that you consistently find yourself posturing around? Why? What insecurities do you need to label and be conscious of?
  • How can you help those around you feel less of a need for posturing when they’re around you?