By the Rev. Thomas M. Boles, PhD. DMin. D.D.

A pompous city man, turned farmer, was showing a young
boy over his acreage. As they drove through field after field, the
man bragged incessantly about his accomplishments, how he had
started from scratch as a young man and worked his way up through the business world.

He told how he had earned far more money than had been necessary to purchase the land and how he had invested
thousands upon thousands of dollars to transform the formerly
worthless farm into the agricultural paradise they were surveying.

He told of the amazing yield of his crops, and the lushness of the
new spring planting. Finally, he pointed toward the stacked hay, the full granary, and the boxes of produce and declared, “And I grew it all by myself, son. Started with nothing, and now look at it!”

“From nothing?” echoed the duly impressed lad. “That’s right,”
said the man. “From nothing.”

“Wow,” the young boy said, pausing to reflect for a few seconds.
“My dad farms, but he needs seed to grow his crops.”

A man wrapped up in himself makes
a very small package.

A fool finds no pleasure in understandings
but delights in airing his own opinions.

Proverbs 18: 2