Who Gets the Credit?

Quick show of hands (and don’t worry, no one is watching), how many of us have worked tremendously hard on a project or as a team leader to see it through to completion… But then felt a little slighted when we didn’t get the credit we thought we deserved for the amount of hours and work we put into it? You just felt like another cog in the wheel. If you’re anything like me, it has left a sour taste in your mouth. Humanity has been that way from nearly the beginning. Wanting to be recognized for our labor and our time. And in the world of the church it’s no different. Leaders have risen, churches have split… New religions formed… Following this person and that. Oftentimes we get bogged down in the details of church life and who gets what credit that we miss the point of our calling. Trust me, we aren’t the first generation to have these issues. When Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthian church, it was the same story. But Paul understood the heart of the matter. He writes this to the church:

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:4-9).

At the heart of the church movement throughout history, God is the only who can make it grow. Whether you follow this leader or that… Or have been in one church your whole life. God is the one who causes those seeds to grow. And now we are his co-workers to spread all we have learned onto the next generation of believers. As Paul goes on to say, by the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NIV).
 
Our role as the current generation is to help lay the foundation for the emerging generations. God has been so good to us. His artistry is written across history. And whatever our story, can we confidently stand and say no matter where I go and no matter where I've been. I will see Your goodness Lord in the land I’m livin’ in. To go forward and Sing it to the daughters. Sing it to the sons. To every generation. Look at what the Lord has done (Bethel Music, I Believe).

Build with care today and the days that follow. Not for the credit. But as co-workers for the kingdom.