As I write this, I’m on my way back from an enjoyable weekend in Georgia where I participated in “Spring Tune-up,” a three-day cycling event organized by Bike Ride Across Georgia, or BRAG for short. Although it’s a stand-alone event, for many cyclists it also serves as preparation for the week-long “Big BRAG” later in the summer.
It’s a clever acronym – BRAG – and they make the most of it, plastering it on T-shirts, traffic cones, and lots of other items. But the biggest display of the name I saw was on the large inflatable archway that spans the entry/exit from which bikers leave at sunrise to begin their daily ride (see photo) and through which they return when finished. And believe me, that’s when the real bragging begins!
“Hey, congratulate me. I did my first-ever century ride today!”
“Dude, y’know that hill they call ‘The Wall’? I CRUSHED that thing!”
It’s fun to boast about our accomplishments and to feel that sense of pride, isn’t it? I mean, is there any one of us – even the most spiritually mature among us – who hasn’t done it at some time or another? Take the apostle Paul, for example. Late in his life, as he was writing to the Christians at Philippi, he took a moment to recall his pedigree as a respected Pharisee and a faultless follower of the Jewish law.
However, Paul quickly puts his bragging into perspective by saying that he counts it all as nothing compared to the blessing of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. (Philippians 3:4-8) And in another letter that he wrote to early Christian believers, he says this: “He (God) is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast inthe Lord.’” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31)
This is the month of Easter, and if there was ever a time to “boast in the Lord,” this is it. After all, who among us, if endowed with all the glory of heaven, would lay it all down for the salvation of sinful people who didn’t deserve it, including those who carried out his horrific crucifixion? And who else, upon being raised from the dead, would go right back to the “friends” (his disciples) who had abandoned him only days earlier in order to assure them of his love and remind them of his constant presence with them?
Only God in Christ would do that. So, this Easter let’s give up our bragging rights and instead give praise to the One who is truly worthy!
Prayer: Gracious God, your love for us is indeed cause for boasting, only not in ourselves, but in you. May we never take for granted what you have done for us in Jesus, and may your praise be always in our hearts and on our lips. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
Dave Marty is a retired pastor who lives with his wife, Mary, in Brownsburg, Indiana. They have two beautiful daughters, two great sons-in-law, and two creative teenage grandchildren. In addition to cycling (including unicycling), Dave also enjoys gardening, Scrabble, hosting Holy Land tours with Mary, and tutoring kindergarteners at a nearby school