Today’s passage is Romans 3:21-31. The righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus to all those who believe, Jew and Gentile. Our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus justifies us before God. We cannot boast of justification through works and obedience to the law. We are justified by faith only.
1 (22) Do you think you are different from others and can therefore follow different rules?
2 (23) Even though you sin, how do you try to justify your actions?
3 (27) What do you boast about?
I am a very good swimmer.
As well as being what is called a natural swimmer, I was trained as a boy to swim competitively and became fast in all four strokes.
I was asked to join the Canadian national team when I was 12.
I am 65 years old now but I am still a very good and very fast swimmer.
I swim for pleasure, I swim for my health and fitness, and I swim to win.
When I am swimming beside someone, I am racing them in my head, determined to touch the end of the pool first.
My swimming ability is my boast. It’s silly. No one cares.
Today at the pool, our coach had a group of us racing each other.
I was paired against a good swimmer 30 years younger.
He is stronger and fitter than I am. But his strokes aren’t as good as mine.
I think he expected to beat me easily.
We tied in our first race. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t win, but not much because I’m out of shape from swimming very little during the summer.
I’ve only been back swimming twice a week for 5 weeks.
I won’t reach my good form for a few months yet.
When I looked at my young competitor, I was shocked to see the wounded pride on his face.
He couldn’t believe that an old man was as fast as he was.
Suddenly, I was concerned for him rather than worrying about my own pride.
Suddenly, the race and my lifetime of boasting turned sour.
We had to race three more times.
My old prideful habit wanted me to win, but a new concern for a member of my swimming group had unaccountably appeared.
What was the point in winning when nothing was at stake for me and would prove nothing to me?
I had a lifetime of victories behind me.
My swimming buddy needed to win for his own reasons, but I didn’t need to win at all.
Being close was good enough.
So in the final three races, he won by just a touch.
Now, just to make sure I couldn’t boast about a newly discovered humility, I realized after I’d left the pool that I had never congratulated him on his speed.
I had not good naturedly clapped him on the back and told him, “Good race!” I had failed to follow through on my choice to let him win and instead congratulated myself on being so gracious!
Once again, I showed my sinful, sabotaging self.
Application: Praise my swimming buddy for the races when we next swim on Thursday.
Lord, protect me from my vanity and my boasting. Let me, like Paul, boast only in you and your gracious love.
