Everybody likes to be noticed. But Paul told the Corinthians that “no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:29). Why does God care so much about bragging?
Bragging in Corinth. The church was split into fan clubs: “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas” (1 Corinthians 1:12). Each group thought it was better than the others.
Paul’s question. “Was Paul crucified for you?” (1 Corinthians 1:13). No teacher had died for them. Only Jesus had.
Everything is a gift. “And what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Your brain, your body and your talents all came from God.
Bragging steals credit. “Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). Bragging acts as if a gift were something we made ourselves.
Comparing. Bragging often starts with comparing. We look at someone else and want to feel bigger. But God made each person, and He loves each one.
Pride trips us up. “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Haughty means stuck-up.
Think rightly. Paul wrote that no one should “think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3).
Two men praying. Jesus told a story about two men in the temple (Luke 18:9-14). One man bragged to God about how good he was. The other man beat his chest and asked God for mercy. Jesus said the humble man went home right with God.
Others first. “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2:3). Esteem means to value.
Humble yourself. “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). Exalt means to lift up.
Saved by a gift. God saves us by grace so that no one can brag (Ephesians 2:8-9). A proud heart wants to take the credit. A humble heart says thank you.
What we learn. Bragging forgets God. It takes the credit for His gifts and looks down on other people.
What to do. Next time you want to brag, stop and thank God instead. Then say something kind about someone else.
Paul did not just say stop bragging. He wrote, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31). There is a right way to boast!
What Jeremiah said. Paul was quoting Jeremiah 9:24. God said the wise should not brag about being wise, the strong about being strong, or the rich about being rich. Instead, a person should brag that he knows the Lord.
Knowing God. What you can do is not the greatest thing about you. Knowing God, and being loved by Him, is far greater.
Jesus showed us. Jesus is God, yet He “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians 2:7). A bondservant is a servant who belongs to his master.
All the way down. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
Lifted up. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:9).
Every tongue. One day every tongue will “confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).
Boasting in weakness. When Paul was weak, Jesus told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). So Paul decided he would boast about his weaknesses.
The cross. Paul also wrote that the only thing he would boast in was the cross of Jesus (Galatians 6:14).
He must increase. John the Baptist said about Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Coming back to say thanks. Jesus healed ten men, but one came back and “with a loud voice glorified God” (Luke 17:15). Glorifying God means giving Him the credit out loud.
Let your light shine. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). When we do good, we point people to God.
Your whole life. “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). Jesus paid for us, so even the way we live can praise Him.
Called to praise. Peter wrote that God called us “out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). He called us so that we would praise Him.
What we learn. Boasting in the Lord means making God the hero of your story.
What to do. This week, tell one person something God has done for you. Give Him the credit out loud.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.