But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Paul is describing his work. He's labored more than the other apostles. But then he backtracks. Not he, but grace. The labor was intense, but it was grace working. He was the instrument. Grace was the power.
I'm a workaholic who's destroying my family for the sake of achievement. I work seventy-hour weeks. I'm productive. I'm successful. I'm miserable. This verse is breaking me open because I can see myself in Paul's first statement: I labored more abundantly. That's who I've been trying to be. But the correction is what I need to hear: yet not I, but the grace of God.
What would it look like if I did less, trusted more, rested, and let grace be the power? What if my excessive labor is actually a sign of lost faith? Like I have to make things happen because I don't believe grace will? I'm starting to think the call is to work without desperation, to labor without thinking everything depends on my effort. That's a different posture entirely.
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