PRIDE VERSUS COMPASSION

SCRIPTURE:
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 
(Galatians 6:14)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever been around someone who has the best and biggest of everything?
Not only do they have them on display, but they remind you of what they have.
In addition, their accomplishments are greater than the ones of others.
Webster defines “boasting” as, “talking with excessive pride 
and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities”.

Paul, however, took a different route when it came to boasting.
He had a resolve that any boasting he did 
would not be about himself or what he owned.
Paul said that if he boasted at all, it would be about the cross.

What glory is there in the cross? 
It was an instrument of torture and shame. 
Why did Paul glory in it? 
He gloried in it because he knew 
that the most selfless act ever performed took place upon it.

On that rough crossbeam he saw the radiant hope of the world, 
the end of the believer’s bondage to sin, 
and the love of God expressed which impacted the hearts of mankind forever. 
Paul realized the magnitude of what Jesus did, and he knew that 
whatever he did would never compare with what happened on the cross.
Whenever someone boasts, they usually have a feeling of superiority to others,
but Paul knew that any feelings of superiority became inferior,
when compared to what Jesus unselfishly did on the cross.

The lone Son of God dying on a cross did more to restore man’s 
lost harmony with God, his fellowman, and himself, 
than the combined genius and power of mankind could ever accomplish. 
With our finite limitations, 
it is hard to fully comprehend the mystery of Christ’s atonement. 
We only know and accept by faith, that all who come to the cross in simple,
trusting faith, will lose all their guilty stains and find peace with God.

ACTION:
How about you – do you have a tendency to boast about yourself, 
your accomplishments or your possessions?
Have you compared the things you boast about to what Jesus did on the cross?
Any boasting you do is about you, but everything Jesus did was about others.

He gave up everything He could have boasted about (had He chosen to), 
to pour out His love for others, and to make it possible 
for us to become a part of God’s family.
Boasting is condescending, prideful, and excludes others, 
but compassion, concern, and humility invites and includes others.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, help me to realize that no matter how great and 
successful I might feel about myself, everything about me is inferior 
to the act of compassion that was shown on the cross. Teach me how 
to encourage others instead of making them feel inferior through bragging 
about myself. Jesus, thank You for what You did on the cross for me 
and everyone else. I pray that going forward, my comparisons will be 
with what You did and not how I stack up with other people. I know 
that when I do that, I will be humbled and discouraged from boasting 
about myself. Help me to glory in the cross of Jesus and more fully 
understand the tremendous meaning it has for me as a believer, and 
for all who come and kneel at the cross.”