Romans 3:27-31
A relationship with Jesus makes people better. “Better than whom?” you might ask. Better than whom they were, yet better than nobody else. A relationship with Jesus is not a competition between people competing to be the best. God is like a loving father, and He does not love one of His children more than He loves another. It is not right when parents show favoritism by comparing their children to each other. Teachers used to compare me to my sister, who was polite and hardworking. I did not look so good by comparison. God does not do that to his children.

Sometimes when people look at Christians, they do not see that they are better than who they used to be. It depends upon where they started from, and how long they have been on their walk with Jesus. I learned to drive with many bad habits. As I have aged, I have become a better driver, but I still do not use religious bumper stickers. I would never want someone to think my driving represents Christ. When we claim the name of Christian, some of us in humility, must explain that Christ is not through with us yet.

When we with God’s help begin to get our life together, we must be extra careful. Because we are better than who we were, pride could cause us to believe we are better than others are. Pride can also cause us to boast about what we are doing with our life. Paul tells us that the law of faith excludes all boasting. Faith recognizes that the power for change comes from Christ. Improvements in the life of a Christian do not happen like magic. Change happens because Christ and the Christian work together in a relationship to make the changes take place. If we remove Christ from the relationship, the changes stop, and those changes that have already happened are seldom lasting. Christians, do not be braggarts. If you feel the urge to brag, instead, praise Jesus.