No boasting

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus . . . Where, then is boasting? It is excluded." (Romans 3.23-24, 27a)
They drive us crazy. You know, the people who are always boasting. It may be about their new car, their new job, their overly achieving children, their new vacation home, their new jet ski, their new boat, whatever it is, they find a way to brag about it. As much as we hate to admit it, we'd all like something to brag about too. In fact, one of the things that bugs us about braggarts is that we'd rather be the one bragging to them. We'd like to think we're getting just a little more than the next guy.
But this is impossible with the Christian faith! "All ground is level at the foot of the cross." No spiritual (or worldly) achievements can rank us above others. "for we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God." We all need redemption equally. We all need God's grace. So, the next time you hear someone bragging, just smile and remember the extravagant love of God who makes us all rich in his grace!