Let us read 1 Corinthians 4:7.

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

I planted a few cucumber seeds in a pot. After some time, they sprouted and leaves began to grow. Before long, cucumbers began to appear.

Then one day, one of the cucumber plants began to wither, and eventually its leaves dried up completely. Wondering what had happened, I looked more closely and discovered that part of the stem had been bent so badly that it was almost broken. Because the stem had been damaged, the water and nutrients coming up from the roots could no longer reach the plant properly.

As I looked at it, I was reminded of what Romans 11 says about the branches and the root:

“Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.” (Romans 11:18)

Can a branch boast simply because it has produced fruit? Of course not. It was able to bear fruit because it received water and nourishment from the root.

In the same way, we cannot boast about the good things we possess, because everything we have has been received from God.

When everything is going well and we are prospering, it is easy to think that we enjoy these things because we are more capable than others. But when we trace everything we enjoy back to its source, we find the grace of God.

Even if we are not wealthy, the fact that we are able to live without lacking the necessities of life is not the result of our own ability alone. It is God who has given us the strength and ability to make a living. Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)

This is why Paul asks:

“And what hast thou that thou didst not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7)

The Pride of Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, possessed great power and glory. But he came to believe that everything he enjoyed had been accomplished by his own strength.

One day, as he walked through the royal palace and looked upon the glory of Babylon, he said:

“Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

Before Nebuchadnezzar had even finished speaking, a voice came from heaven:

“O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; The kingdom is departed from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” (Daniel 4:31–32)

Nebuchadnezzar’s words were filled with the thought of “I.”

“I built it by my power. I accomplished it by my strength. I made this kingdom for my own glory.”

But in a moment, God took away everything upon which Nebuchadnezzar had depended.

He was driven away from men and lived among the beasts of the field. He ate grass like an ox. His body was wet with the dew of heaven, his hair grew like eagles’ feathers, and his nails like birds’ claws.

After seven times had passed, he finally came to understand who he was and who God is. He confessed:

“Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34–35)

Nebuchadnezzar had thought that he himself had accomplished everything. But God caused him to understand that even the ability and authority he possessed had been given to him by God.

The authority a person possesses is permitted by God. The possessions a person enjoys are given by God. And nothing we accomplish would be possible apart from the ability and grace God gives us.

Therefore Solomon said:

“And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13)

There Is No Room for Boasting in Grace

When a hunter shoots a bird, he may think that he brought it down because of his own skill. But Jesus teaches us that not even a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the providence of God:

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.” (Matthew 10:29)

Even the falling of a single sparrow is under God’s sovereign care. Therefore, when we accomplish something, we have no reason to exalt ourselves because of it.

Our salvation also did not come because of our own righteousness or ability. It came because God showed us His grace.

God delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). In Jesus Christ, He has given us redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, and has made known to us the mystery of His will in all wisdom and prudence (Ephesians 1:7–9).

Therefore Scripture clearly says:

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Even after we have believed in Jesus, our spiritual growth is not accomplished by our own strength. Paul says:

“So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:7)

Therefore, a person who understands grace cannot boast in himself.

Grace does not cause us to boast about what we have done for God. Grace causes us to boast about what God has done for us.

The Blessing of Trusting in the Lord

After God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He did not take them immediately into Canaan. Instead, He led them through the wilderness.

The wilderness was not the road Israel would have chosen. Yet God led them that way to humble them and, in the end, to do them good.

God sometimes leads us along roads we would not choose for ourselves. Through them, He teaches us our weakness and our inability so that we may understand that everything we have has been received from Him.

When we understand this, we no longer boast in ourselves. Instead, we boast in God alone and depend upon Him.

Just as a branch cannot bear fruit apart from the root, neither can we accomplish anything apart from God. Therefore, we must humble our hearts and trust in Him.

Scripture describes the blessing of the person who trusts in the Lord:

“Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7–8)