We Have Nothing We Have Not Been Given...

“For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” ~ 1 Corinthians 4:7, NKJV

As they vied for superiority over one another, the Corinthians abandoned an important truth: we have nothing we have not been given. Everything we have - our being, our bodies, our possessions, our talents, our lives, our world, the very breath in our lungs - we have received from God. He is, after all, the Creator; there is nothing that does owe its existence to Him. So why were the Corinthians boasting about what they had (in this case, from who they had received the word of salvation), when they had no right to take credit for it? Paul urges believers to boast in nothing except Jesus Christ. Boasting about Jesus is another way to point to Him with praise and thanksgiving. It makes praise much more personal in that you yourself are deeply invested in what you share. It is profitable boasting, since it serves not only to glorify God, but to share the good news of His salvation with others! There is nothing about myself in which I can boast. But there's everything for me to boast about in Christ, not least of which is implied in the verse above: I can't earn God's love. Everything I have has been given to me, yes? I can't claim credit or ultimate, creative ownership of anything, yes? So that makes it impossible for me to even begin to earn or pay for the favor God has given me. It's not even worth trying; to do so would be an exercise in futility and a defiance of logic. I have nothing to give and there's nothing I can do about that. Isn't that great? It's a huge burden that God has taken off our shoulders! "No," He says, "you don't have to sweat and strive and sacrifice to try to afford Me, because I've made sure that such a goal is beyond your reach. I don't want you to have to labor like that. I want to give you all My love and all My favor for free. Like everything else, you just need to receive it." Unfortunately, we human beings (or at least this human being) find receiving difficult. Receiving requires humility. It requires a surrender of our self-willed independence. To receive the better things God has for us we need the filling of His Spirit, which comes through the influence of His word, so that the receiving is done in His power and not in ours. It is not an easy process. But it leads to life, and life abundantly - with a Father like no other.

by Rebecca...