Nice day out there today.  No wind, but plenty of sunshine and the temperature is just right.  Little concerned this morning when I looked out and saw frost on the cars and a 31 degree temperature – didn’t hear the windmills in the orchards ( they turn them on to keep the air moving and frost off the buds ) so I imagine things are okay there.

Some of the animals have chosen to go outside and find a place to nestle down and enjoy the fresh air.

Blaze is going out and explaining to the world that he is king of all he surveys – unless one of the cats is in the way.

1 Corinthians 3:7-9  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

⁸ Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.

⁹ For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

My daddy can beat up your daddy; a taunt that has been thrown by children of all generations.

My team is the greatest; we have the skills and ability to take down anyone that challenges us.  What almost every sport’s fan says of his chosen team.

Through the years I have seen people grab the credit for something they had no part in creating.  Some were managers who took their subordinates ideas to a higher level and claimed it as their own.

I have also seen people in interviews, when asked the question, “why should we pick you for this position” give an answer as to why their opponent shouldn’t be given the position, rather than talked about their own abilities and accomplishments. 

One man boasted to me that he had told his perspective bosses that another man was unqualified and listed some of his faults – I asked him if that was true and he said, no, he never met the guy.  Never did trust him – even before that conversation – and he was one of my supervisors.

One day he was staring at me, I asked him if something was wrong.  He said, no, I just can’t figure you out – I could well believe that.

Far too many people want credit for work done.  Some are entitled to the credit while others only claim it.  But even those that are boasting tend to want to elevate themselves over others and often use accomplishments to not only succeed, but to keep the other person from succeeding.

Then of course when we are on the receiving end of the climber who takes credit for our work, it can make us angry – and we may not be too charitable in our conversations with them.

But Paul makes it clear here that every Christian is a worker for God.  It doesn’t make any difference to Him what we think we should ‘earn’ or receive credit for – He is looking at our heart and knows whether we are doing something for Him and His Kingdom, or just to look good to others.

I was reading Gideon’s story in Judges the other day.  Here was a young man, least in his household in a family that was not high up in the society of the area – not someone we would think could lead an assault on a large army.

Of all the people, many who had proven leadership ability and/or military skills, that God could have chosen, He chose this young man who had no credentials.

Undoubtedly, that is just one of the reasons God chose him.  If God had chosen a great warrior then that person could claim the victory instead of giving the glory to God.

God looks at the heart of His people.  He can choose to empower anyone.  AND He uses each of us to spread the Gospel and His salvation, sometimes using our abilities and sometimes elevating us to a higher level that we would never have thought possible.

How often has a person witnessed to another, strove to show them the blood of Jesus’ cleansing power, only to feel rebuffed – then days, weeks, months or even years later found out that someone led them to Christ?

If we are the former, we are saddened that we didn’t get our message across to them.  We may doubt ourselves and wonder if we should continue witnessing – when what we were doing was preparing the ground, helping to break down the resistance of the non-believer and allowing the Holy Spirit to work within him.

Both those that witness and those that eventually get that person to accept Christ, have done their job.  It isn’t a matter of chalking up a win for the latter, it is a matter of both following the Spirit of God’s direction in working with that sinner.

God isn’t looking for people who want to beat their chests and tell how great they are, God is looking for people who will obey Him, no matter how simple or difficult the task is – there is but two victors, the sinner who accepted Christ and God.

We are but a tool in God’s hands, as the shovel cannot claim it turned the dirt, so we cannot claim we saved a soul.  We are just doing what God wants us to do – and that gives us great Joy and comfort knowing we are obeying Him.

Later, Art :-)