Bragging Rights

"And if you don't brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise!"
- James 3:13 (NLT)

If anyone ever had bragging rights, it was Jesus. A life-long leper . . . bang . . . now you're healed. A dead daughter . . . no problem . . . she's alive. Thousands of hungry people . . . check it out . . . more than enough to go around. A demon-possessed boy, a man born blind, a paralytic . . .

We could go on and on, because Jesus did so many extraordinary things. And let's be honest, if we had performed any one of these miracles, everyone within earshot would have heard about it . . . from us.

Which is what makes Jesus all the more amazing. He didn't brag or boast about Himself at any point. Isn't it amazing that Jesus didn't even write the gospels? They were all written with the help of others who witnessed what He had done. People tracked Him down and wrote about the miraculous things that He had done (John 3:2).

Just as Isaiah prophesied several centuries before, Jesus was never into self-promotion.

He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. (Isaiah 42:2 NKJV)

We're called to imitate Christ, even when it comes to the way we handle our accomplishments. If we brag about the good that we do, then we're demonstrating how unwise and un-Christ-like we are. Remember, the One with the bragging rights didn't, so don't brag or boast about the good things that you do. Demonstrate your wisdom by keeping quiet. When you do, you'll be following in Jesus' footsteps. Your quiet and humble demeanor will also be sending a strong message in a world full of boasters.

"But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word." (Isaiah 66:2 NKJV)

Godspeaks