Father, may our time together be profitable. May the words that come forth be impactful for those who would take the time to read them. May Your blessing be upon me.

1 Corinthians 15:5-11 (<<click here to read the passage)

In the body of Christ, there is no room for pride and arrogance. Humility must reign in our hearts and minds. But far too often, that is not the case. In just about every area of life, there are individuals who are exceptionally good at what they do. They are masters of their trade. When we get to that level, people begin to treat us like we are something special. Some find it easy to believe, and others, with enough persuasion, can also come to believe it. And I’m sure it is no surprise that the church and its people – clergy and laity – are not exempt from these mindsets either.

Reading Paul’s words in the middle of verse 10 of today’s text – For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles… – we may be tempted to think that Paul thought too highly of himself, but reading through the entirety of his writings we know that that is not the case. When we honestly examine the lines of today’s text, we can readily see that Paul was not promoting himself but God.

My Life Application Study Bible states, “This was not an arrogant boast, because he knew that his power came from God and that it really didn’t matter who worked hardest. Because of his prominent position as a Pharisee, Paul’s conversion made him the object of even greater persecution than the other apostles; thus, he had to work harder to preach the same message.”

What grabbed my attention regarding this passage was what the notes had to say about verse 10 – first, the verse itself.

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. v10a

Paul knew that he had worked hard and accomplished much but only because God had poured kindness and grace upon him. (emphasis mine)

True humility is not convincing yourself that you are worthless but recognizing God’s work in you. It is having God’s perspective on who you are and acknowledging his grace in developing your abilities.

In the sight of God, we are more than useless, and I believe that more today than ever. We serve a mighty God, and as Jesus Himself said in Matthew 19:26,

“With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” AMP

Cling to that promise today!

Feb 25th, 2024, Sun, 6:04 pm