We derive significance from the things we do. So we boast about what we do. In a way we try to elevate our significance by defining reality. But reality is defined by truth, not by our perception of truth. When we attempt to define reality by our biased perception of what we do, we are boastful. Take the example of the universe around us. We do nothing to sustain it. If the sun burns out today, we would not be able to replace it with anything equivalent. Then we shall all perish. Or look at the human body. The food we eat, our body puts it to use without our conscious intervention. When we cut ourselves, our body heals itself without our needing to know how. If none of these worked by itself, we would not even have a chance to boast. The reality is that we cannot turn even one hair black or white. If we cannot do this one very little thing, our boasting must be about some rather insignificant things.

After God has created the world, he continues to sustain it by his powerful word. We breathe, we see, we hear, we move about and do things because God has graciously sustained us. If right at this moment God stops sustaining the universe, the entire universe will disintegrate in a split second. Therefore every second of our lives is the grace of God. He has sustained us without making an effort to remind us of the fact. In this we see the humility of God. When we boast about what we do, we are ignorant about God s grace in sustaining us.

We came into the world empty-handed. Empty-handed we shall leave the world. What we have in this life has been given to us as temporary custodians. If we truly own the things we have in this life, we would take them with us when we leave. But none of us can - it is futile for us human beings to claim permanent ownership of anything. It is God's set purpose that the entire universe will be burnt up by fire. Not a single trace of it will remain in eternity. All the things we have accumulated will have no place in eternity. All things exist only for as long as God wills it. We human beings do not have permanent ownership of anything. When we boast about what we have, we really boast about what we eventually do not have.

We boast about being member of a special group or being an acquaintance of influential people. We take on important things to do. If they are not big and important enough, we try to make them bigger and more noticeable. If what we have is not impressive enough, we try to replace it with something that fits in with our biased perception. Essentially we are using other people and something outside of ourselves to ascribe importance to ourselves. If that is the case for you, you are not really that important at all by yourself. That kind of importance is silly and subservient. When what you have in this life has been stripped away from you, you are reduced to nothing. That is what happens at the last day when God sends fire to burn up the entire universe. If you are truly important, you ascribe importance to people and things, not people and things to you. Then your importance can never be taken away from you.

This is exactly what God did. When Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down from heaven and became a man, he did not assume importance for himself. Rather he ascribed importance to those he associated with. Jesus associated himself with fishermen, social outcasts and prostitutes, and elevated them to be children of Almighty God. We take on important things to make ourselves important. Jesus took lowly and despised things and unimportant things, and made something good out of them. We have people ascribe importance to us. Jesus ascribed importance to people, not people to him.

Jesus lives in unapproachable light. He has the awesome glory of almighty God who is holy and pure, whom no one has seen or can see. Glory emanates from Jesus just as radiance emanates from the shinning sun. Angels see the glory of Jesus and they revere him; they see the reality of Jesus and they worship him. When Jesus came down from heaven, all the angelic worship stopped and came to a screeching halt. Heaven was quiet for a change. All the angels in heaven were watching closely what was going to happen because the Son of God had put heaven on hold. The Son of God had actually become a man, a little less than an angel. All the angels were astonished that almighty God who created them had become less than they were. They were watching breathlessly what was going to happen to Jesus.

Jesus came empty-handed. He was born in a manger because the inn had no room for him. He grew up in a neighborhood of the lower class. Before he was crucified, he humbled himself and washed his disciples feet. Ultimately he was nailed to a cross. To die on a cross is to die a shameful death. He was hanging up there half-naked. He was made the object of scorn and ridicule. Those who crucified him were dividing up his clothes at the foot of the cross. Then God laid the sin of the whole world upon him and cursed him. Thus on the cross Jesus experienced hell on our behalf. He paid the full penalty for our sins. On the third day after Jesus was crucified God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him (ACTS 2:24). The resurrection of Jesus is God s signature granting repentance and forgiveness of sin through Jesus name. Anyone who is willing to deny himself the pleasures of sin, turns from his sins and turns to Jesus by faith will have all his sins washed away by the blood of Jesus. He will be elevated to be a child of Almighty God. God has humbled himself in elevating us. We mere mortals should stop our boasting and submit to God in humility for our salvation.