A Saint, or a Sinner?

Heard on the radio this morning:  A gangster had a brother who had died.  The gangster wanted to give his brother a fitting memorial, so he asked a local pastor to preach his funeral.  The gangster told the preacher, “If you will call him a saint, I will give your church a check for $50,000.”  The pastor agonized for a moment and agreed.  At the funeral the pastor said, “This man was a terrible father, an unfaithful husband, a thief and a liar.  But compared to his brother, he was a saint.”  Hey, do you ever fall into the trap of comparing yourself to someone else?  Paul warned us in II Corinthians 10:12, “… compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”  Paul simply said that if we compare ourselves with someone else, we are not wise.  “But why?” you may ask.  Well, the answer in found in verse 13.  It’s because we got everything from God!  We have nothing to boast about in ourselves!  I can’t brag about my brains: I got them from God.  I can’t brag about my athletic ability: I got it from God.  I can’t brag about my good looks: I got them from God.  I had you there for a minute, didn’t I?  Seriously, God made me the way that He wanted to, and God made you the way He wanted to.  And remember, compared to me, you’re a saint.