You know guys at college who are always boasting. Maybe there is someone at school who can always beat what you’ve done. You know the type of thing, you say you have a new MP3 player and suddenly they say they have the biggest iPod you can get. You spend the weekend surfing, they tell you they did a parachute jump. Older people are no different. They get a new car; their neighbour gets a bigger car. The pastor asks them to head up a team, and they tell everyone they meet how the pastor and they are best mates. What is it that we want to seek other people’s approval by being better then they are? What is it that makes us think that just because we are different to someone else we are better then them? James tells us straight, if you want to be wise, if you want to be better, then don’t go around shouting about how great you are. James reminds us that God looks at the heart of a person; he is not interested what they look like. It’s all about actions. James hits us between the eyes. If we want to be better then we shouldn’t make other people feel small by telling them about what we own and what we do. No we become the big man, we become the big woman by making others feel good about themselves, by treating each others with dignity and honour.
