James H. Cagle
“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27: 1 KJV).
Mankind is proud, and braggadocios, or very boastful. He boasts about what he has done and what he has won, and goes so far as to boast in what he will have and win tomorrow. His boasting or glorying in himself and his accomplishments is called vain-glory.
But boasting of ourselves and our accomplishments is sin. We should humbly attribute our power to be and do as coming from God. The power we have to live and work and get wealth and be creative comes from God, and so we have nothing to really brag about. King David said, “My soul shall make her boast in the Lord.”
Not only do people boast about their past accomplishments as in they have done this and won that, they also boast about their assumed future accomplishments when they boast about what they will do tomorrow as if they already have done it.
People that boast in this way are presumptuous. They are being very bold and assuming power and control over tomorrow which they do not own and do not have the right to assume they own.
Many of those who boasted yesterday of what they would do today are dead. Many others, due to a change in their circumstances which they couldn’t control, did not get to fulfill their entire boast. Though many do get to see their boasts brought to fruition and become more confident and braggadocios as a result it is still only because God allows them to do so.
Christians have a problem of boasting about what they are going to do tomorrow as well. James tells us what we ought to do is to say, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this or that.”
Tomorrow is a mystery today. Tomorrow it will be today. And then a yesterday we will forget.
We shouldn’t boast about tomorrow as though in our own strength and power we will carry out our boast. But we should make plans for tomorrow that will honor and glorify God so He can become involved and help us carry them through to completion. And then our boast will also be of God.
