Luke 14:11

Plain English Version

You see, if you try to make yourself important, God will make you like nothing. But if you make yourself like nothing, God will make you important.”

Cross References

Luke 1:51

He does great things with his power, and he shows everyone that he is really strong. Some people reckon they are smart and strong, but God makes them nothing. They are like soldiers that get frightened of the enemy and run away.

Luke 1:52

He chucks out the big bosses and takes their power away. But he gets people that are not important, and he makes them bosses.

Luke 14:12

Then Jesus talked to the boss of that house. He said, “Whenever you put on a dinner for other people to come and eat with you, don’t ask your family, or your friends, or the rich people that live near you, to come and eat that food. If you ask those people to come, later they will ask you to come and eat some food with them. That will be the only pay you get for giving them food.

Luke 18:14

Jesus said, “I’m telling you now, God listened to that bad man because he was sorry for the bad things he did, so God says that he is all right, and he will not punish that man. But God doesn’t say that about the other man that already reckoned he was good. You see, if you try to make yourself important, God will make you like nothing. But if you make yourself like nothing, God will make you important.” (We have not yet translated 18:15-43. You can read those stories and messages in Mark 10:13-34, 46-52.)

James 1:9

If Christians haven’t got much money, or if people don’t think they are important, they can be happy, because God thinks they are important.

James 4:10

Tell God that you are sorry. Tell him that you know that you are weak, and that you are not important. If you do that, he will tell you that you are important, and he will make you strong.

James 4:6

And remember that God is really good to us. His book says this too, “God is against people that think they are great, but he is good to people that know they are not great.”

1 Peter 5:5

Listen, you young people, it is like this. You have to listen carefully to your Christian leaders. Don’t think you are great or more important than other people. Think about what God says in his book. He says, “God is against people that think they are great, but he is good to people that know they are not great.”

1 Peter 5:6

God is great and powerful, so remember that you are not important at all. Wait for him, and at the right time, he will get everybody to respect you.

1 Samuel 15:17

Samuel said, “At first you called yourself nothing. You didn’t try to be important. It was God that made you important. He picked you to be the big boss for the Israel mob.