Bragging Rights

“For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Luke 18:14 (NLT)

We live in a world where many people get their self-worth from their accomplishments or the title they hold. We’re taught to elevate ourselves in the eyes of others to get ahead and we tend to define ourselves by what we do for a living.

Actually, times haven’t changed much. In Luke 18:10–14, Jesus told a story to a group of people who derived their sense of self from their behaviour. They thought they were better than everyone else because of their ability to follow religious laws.

In this story, a Pharisee and a tax collector were praying in the temple. The Pharisee boasted to God about his ability to follow the rules and thanked Him that he wasn’t like the unworthy tax collector who was praying nearby (Luke 18:10–12, NLT). He was pretty full of himself.

The tax collector, on the other hand, wouldn’t even look up to heaven. He knew he was imperfect, so he beat his breast and said, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner” (v. 13, NLT).

Jesus was more impressed with the tax collector’s humble heart than He was with the Pharisee’s so-called perfect behaviour.

When people give their lives to Jesus, they do it because they know they need Him. This is the kind of humility Jesus talked about. You see, being humble doesn’t mean you think you’re nothing. It just means you don’t think you’re better than others and you know you need Jesus.

So, if you’re going to boast about something, don’t boast about what you’ve done. Boast about how much better your life is because of Jesus.