'And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.'
Ephesians 2:6-9
Yesterday we talked about how God has saved us through Christ, and that we are no longer dead in sin, but alive in Jesus. Today I'd like to talk about boasting and showing off. Who reading this admits to boasting and showing off about how good they are, or about how much stuff they've got? Don't deny it - if you do, you're boasting about not boasting! Besides, I know you do. It would be strange if you didn't. Boasting is a natural thing to do for a human being, but that doesn't make it right.
So why is it not a good idea to boast? I mean, it's not like you're killing someone, right? But the thing about boasting is that you're saying how great you are, not how great God is. Now, I'm not saying you're not great, you're obviously great, you're a daughter of a king, but I'm saying that boasting about you isn't really thanking God. I mean, if you went on telling everyone how awesome your brand-new laptop is, or whatever, you're not really thanking God for that laptop, are you? And it was he who gave it to you in the first place - every good gift comes from God. So boasting is exalting your name, instead of the one who made you's name.
Another reason why you shouldn't boast is because you're putting other people down. If you're boasting about getting 100% in a maths test, it's not gonna make the people who got 70% feel very good about themselves, is it? As a Christian, the most important thing you should do, other than believing in God, is showing love and kindness to other people. Making them feel miserable and worthless is certainly not doing that.
But coming back to the bible verse, it says that you have been saved by grace, not works, so you can't boast. What it means is that you shouldn't think that you have been saved because you are such a good Christian and you go to church every Sunday. That's totally wrong. You have been saved by the grace and kindness of your holy father, who has promised you an unbelievable inheritance in heaven. Instead of making yourself look good and Christian, you should humble yourself before the Lord, and not boast unless it is to boast about him and in His name.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you that you have given me so many wonderful things. Thank you that you love me, and that you have saved me. Please help me not to boast to others about what I have, or what I do, or what I say. Help me to humble myself before you Lord, and remember that everything comes from you. you have saved me through your wonderful grace. I love you Jesus.
Amen