But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
Oh, man. God gets all the credit. I thought I could at least take credit for my hard work! God gets to take credit for creating the Universe and all the living things on the planet, He can have all the supernatural healings, miracles, resurrections, tongues, and the casting out of demons but now I can’t even take credit for my hard work?!
I am obviously being sarcastic, but 10 minutes ago I was horrified to learn this. This verse is a correction for me this morning and an important one. Sometimes I start to give myself credit for things I don’t deserve credit for, and effort has often been one of them. As my father would say, “Isn’t God lucky to have me?”
This sneaky thought creeps in little by little when we are working for God. We get it, God is good! He is all-powerful, present everywhere all at once, all-knowing, glorious, holy, and loving. Then we reason that since we are His hands and feet, we are doing the physical work and we must be doing the motivating too. “Okay!” we say, “I’ll go ahead and take the glory for that.”
Here Paul gives credit where credit is due. Paul worked his butt off. If there was anyone who could have taken the prize for hard work it was Paul. He worked hard even when it was against God. After Jesus came and interrupted his life and redeemed him, he worked for God. His work as an apostle includes evangelism, healing, casting out demons, church planting, church management, missions, discipleship, and to fund it all, tent making! Sure, he had a few breaks from tent-making and missions. They were called jail.
Even in jail, Paul evangelized to those around him and wrote letters that guided churches then and now. He clearly knew how to work hard but in 1 Corinthians he honored God as the true source of his hard work. He specifically calls to the grace of God, or simply put, undeserved favor.
God really does help with everything, doesn’t He? He creates us, saves us, loves us, and shapes us into something new. He gives us instruction and help in so many ways that it can be difficult to track. Perhaps the best way to think about where credit goes is to look to this verse.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
James 1:16-18
After looking at this verse I next need to recognize what good and perfect gifts look like. It’s more than just material blessings and pleasures, it is everything God gives. It’s ideas, spiritual gifts, ability, timing, rain, sunshine, winter, motivation, breath, life, tasks, discipline, testing, comfort, and closeness. The list is endless, and He is the source of all of it.
He’s the source of the dew in the morning and the sweat on my brow, and I shouldn’t take any attention or praise away from Him. He gets it all, and I get Him. Even in this, I have the better end of the bargain. It’s not my life anyhow! The Whitney that was born has already been crucified with Christ, and what kind of credit does a dead woman deserve?
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20 KJV
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