I am what I am . . .

Complements make me feel uncomfortable. This is understandable if they are Insincere, butter-up remarks, but even genuine, well-intentioned words bother me too. Sometimes they stroke my vanity and desire to bathe in the flattery, yet I don’t like it. A swelled head is often dangerous and a warning of a fall soon to come.

Once I paid a compliment to a Christian friend and she quoted: “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.” (James 1:17)

I liked that, yet the words feel awkward to my mouth. This is not the way I talk. A better example was the time someone complemented my rock garden and I lifted my hands in a gesture of glory to God. The other person grinned and nodded. That gesture felt right and was well received, yet is not always possible — for instance in a telephone conversation. Besides, I want to use Scripture. Truth from God has a way of ringing its own bell.

Today I read this passage and God gives me an answer to those who give me credit when it should go to God . . .

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 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 15:3–10)

By the grace of God, I am what I am. Right! Whatever I do well, it is not because of any special skill or practice that I’ve developed; it is the grace of God. I could have been born to a family with less love, married to a man who abuses me, living in a situation of great poverty. I could have great health problems, physical deformities, a low IQ and no common sense at all, but by the grace of God, my life is filled with abundance and blessed.

The best of all is that I am forgiven. My sin is washed away, and I am declared righteous in Christ. I once was lost and far from God, but grace made me His child. I shudder thinking about what might have happened had God not been gracious to me. God reminds me of what Paul wrote to those who had awful sin in their lives. He gave a list of those sins, then said to them:

“And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

What good news! What marvelous news! Once they lived sin-filled lives, but Jesus saved them! And I know that even if my situation in life was the opposite of all that it is, that is, even if I were less blessed with abundance and good things, I would still have Jesus. I would still be able to say — by the grace of God I am what I am. I am a person of joy, saved and in love with Jesus Christ. I have all I need — His grace has made it so.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, the next time someone says ‘good for you’ about anything, remind me to reply in such a way that You are glorified, for You are worthy to receive glory. I know that in some cases a simple ‘thank you’ is appropriate, but I’d rather acknowledge that grace is the only reason for any good thing in my life, the only reason I am a saved and blessed person. I am what I am because of Your grace, because of You!

Point Up

Most people smile when another gives them a genuine complement. My human heart enjoys the attention and flattery of being told I have done well, or that I am a blessing to them in some way. But this is a snare. It puts attention on me instead of Christ and also inflates my ego. When pondering how to deal with this, someone usually says that I should say a simple ‘thank you.’ For me, that can still tighten the snare.

There are other ways for Christians to handle this. I once complimented a writer friend for her organizational skills and she responded . . .

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights . . . .” (James 1:17)

Both of our hearts were edified by that, and I felt mildly rebuked because my words should have expressed thanks to God — as she did for her skills.

Paul had the same attitude. He was genuine in his expression of thanks because he was so aware of God’s power and his own weakness . . .

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1–5)

In the estimation of others, Paul was an educated man and a powerful speaker, yet impressing them with his abilities was the farthest thing from his mind. His skills were not given to him so he could impress others. He knew that if all he did was make a good impression, his listeners would miss the importance of what he was saying and Christ would not be glorified. He had to speak to them in the power of the Holy Spirit, and they had to realize that they were hearing from God, not from Paul.

How can that happen? From the perspective of the one who speaks, there needs to be total dependence on the Lord. Paul had incredible revelations from God, but had been given something to keep him from being conceited. He was strongly aware that he could not do anything apart from God’s power . . .

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7–10)

No one likes to feel weak, never mind boast of their weaknesses, yet without that helplessness I will rely on ‘the wisdom of men’ — my abilities without mentioning they are God-given. I am easily able to take or receive credit for whatever I’m doing rather than pointing to the One who gives all good gifts.

God’s power to redeem is from God, not anything in the personality of the one who shares the gospel. As Chambers says, fasting in a preacher or any Christian messenger is not so much food, but from any eloquence, or impressive speech, or writing, or anything else that hinders the gospel from being heard. I can edit my words, but not to impress others, only to get out of the way of the Holy Spirit.  

Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)

This makes me even more aware that if it my words flatter me only, those who read them are not being drawn to Jesus Christ. Instead, I am actually a stumbling block to Him and the message of redemption. He must be lifted up.