No Claim to Fame
Devotions for Growing Christians
No Claim to Fame
1 Corinthians 4:7 - What do you have that God hasn’t given you? And if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?
Luke 12:48b - When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.
The end of the school year for many students can be a triumphant moment. Some students will receive academic honors and athletic awards. Some will get great job offers and scholarships. However, other students will see disappointing grades, and no awards or accolades. Some will have to take summer courses or find a tough job to save money.
The verses from 1 Corinthians 4 and Luke 12 have something to say to Christians at both ends of this spectrum. On the one hand, these verses should take Christians who think highly of themselves for their intelligence and achievements down a notch. But on the other hand, these same Scriptures can bring hope to Christians who feel like a failure.
Poor self image?
The teaching in 1 Corinthians 4:7 and Luke 12:48 assures us that God does not require anything from us that He hasn’t given us. God isn’t like an unreasonable parent who expects his children to excel in calculus if they’re not gifted in math! God is more like the reasonable and understanding parent who wants children to "do their best.” God has given us certain abilities and capacities. He knows us completely and doesn’t hold us accountable for gifts He hasn’t given to us. "He knows our frame and remembers that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14).
God's basis for judgment in His family is always "according to what one has; not according to what one does not have" (2 Corinthians 8:12). Accepting ourselves as God made us, recognizing our limitations, and knowing we won’t be judged unfairly can be a tremendous encouragement. It can bring hope to Christians who are often discouraged. There are no unimportant people in God's family. Every member is valuable for the proper functioning of the Body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
But God expects us to develop the gifts and talents He has given us, so there’s no excuse for laziness, avoiding responsibility, or quitting. New responsibilities will emerge as we improve and increase our capabilities. (See Luke 8:16-18, 1 Timothy 4:14-15 and 2 Timothy 1:6.)
Inflate self image?
At the other end of the spectrum are Christians who have an inflated self-image. Awards, honors, and accolades are a way of life. But they often feel self-satisfied, thinking their accomplishments are entirely a result of their own effort. Unfortunately, they may tend to look down on others who may not be as talented or gifted. These same Scriptures have something very definite to say to them. (By the way, most believers are in this category, to one degree or another.)
“What do you have that God hasn’t given you?” can be applied in so many ways, because everything we have has been given to us by God. Do you have academic ability, or artistic skill or musical talent? Are you athletic? Attractive? Do you have natural charisma? Do you have the spiritual gift of teaching? If you answered yes to any of these things, you received it from God! When we really think about it, there’s absolutely nothing we have as individuals that wasn't given to us by God. Yes, hard work and good work habits are also involved, but the great grades, job offers, honors and awards that we earn are also rooted in the talent and ability that was given to us by the Lord.
The cutting edge of this Scripture is that “if everything you have is from God, why boast as though it were not a gift?” In other words, our brains were given to us by God, so why should any of us be proud of our intelligence? God could just as easily have given that intelligence to someone else! The same goes for athletes with big egos, when their strength and skill has all been given to them. God could have easily given that ability to someone else. So Christians who have been given more should never look down on Christians who have been given less. The Lord could certainly have programmed it the other way around!
Problems begin to arise when Christians become proud lose sight of their gifts that came from God. This problem was present in the Corinthian church, and forms the background for 1 Corinthians 4:7 (see 1 Corinthians 1-3). Jealousies and bad feelings develop between individuals. Divisions and splits begin to take place within fellowship groups. Factions emerge as outspoken self-centered Christians begin to attract fans and manipulate followers. Many churches have seen their spiritual growth hindered as a result. These Christians may be talented and gifted leaders, but they may also be proud and self-seeking. We all need to examine our own lives in light of this teaching.
Luke 12:48 is the biblical corollary to 1 Corinthians 4:7. Although we should never be boastful for what we’ve received, we must never forget that we’re responsible to use what we have received. And the more we’ve been given, the more we’re expected to use our gifts for the glory of God. We’re not at fault if we don’t use what we don’t have, but we are at fault if we fail to use what we do have.
We’re responsible to develop and use the spiritual gifts that the Lord has given us. Will the Lord be pleased if we spend most of our time and energy making more money or chasing pleasure, while letting our spiritual gifts go to waste? Each one of us will give an account directly to the Lord about how we used the spiritual gifts He has entrusted to us.
Whether our gifts are academic, athletic, artistic, musical, or anything else, we’re responsible to use these blessings for the glory of God -- and not for self-glory. Faithful use of the gifts and talents we’ve received will someday result in praise from our Lord (1 Corinthians 4:5 and Matthew 25:14-30). Our “claim to fame” will never be based on what God has given us, but rather on the basis of how we use what we have received.
- Dave Reid
(Updated 2022, Ron Reid)