"And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
1 Corinthians 4:6-7
I really like the question "for who maketh thee to differ from another?" That's really interesting to think about why all the differences. Are some differences part of us, reflected in our intelligences/spirits? Are others purely physical, meant to teach us?
Another good point here is "what hast thou that thou didst not receive," or in other words, everything we have is a gift from God. There is much of course that we work for in life, but I think the point here is that our hard work is only one aspect of the formula, and that there is a lot more to it, since not everyone has the same opportunities, and disasters can wipe out the most carefully-laid plans. God's hand in a bigger part of the process than all of our efforts.
This is similar to the idea of earning our way to heaven. That simply isn't possible. It is something we definitely *should* strive for, and work at, but despite all we do, we can't possibly get there without the grace of God, who pays the price that we cannot pay, and makes up for our weakness.
Today, let's remember that our lives and all that we have are gifts from God, and let's work on being a little more thankful, and perhaps a little bit more humble when comparing ourselves to others. Our differences don't make us better or worse: just different. :) Let's be thankful and work with God on achieving good goals and assisting others to do the same, despite our differences.
For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?"
1 Corinthians 4:6-7
I really like the question "for who maketh thee to differ from another?" That's really interesting to think about why all the differences. Are some differences part of us, reflected in our intelligences/spirits? Are others purely physical, meant to teach us?
Another good point here is "what hast thou that thou didst not receive," or in other words, everything we have is a gift from God. There is much of course that we work for in life, but I think the point here is that our hard work is only one aspect of the formula, and that there is a lot more to it, since not everyone has the same opportunities, and disasters can wipe out the most carefully-laid plans. God's hand in a bigger part of the process than all of our efforts.
This is similar to the idea of earning our way to heaven. That simply isn't possible. It is something we definitely *should* strive for, and work at, but despite all we do, we can't possibly get there without the grace of God, who pays the price that we cannot pay, and makes up for our weakness.
Today, let's remember that our lives and all that we have are gifts from God, and let's work on being a little more thankful, and perhaps a little bit more humble when comparing ourselves to others. Our differences don't make us better or worse: just different. :) Let's be thankful and work with God on achieving good goals and assisting others to do the same, despite our differences.
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