Giving to God What is Due

Moses clearly explains to the Israelites in Deut 8.17, that success, wealth, and by inference, talent and opportunity, come from God. They (and we) ought to be very careful that, when they became successful, they not sit back and pat themselves on the back and say, "look what an incredible person I am." Unfortunately, the human tendency is to do just that.

"You Humble Now, Holmes."

A line from the movie, Tin Cup, where Cheech Marin is acting as Kevin Costner's caddie at the U. S. Open. Before his first round, Costner says, "Lord keep me humble." You see him hitting balls all over the place, then in the next scene they are at the finish and Marin is counting up Costner's scorecard. He says, "82. You humble now, Holmes."

The line came to mind as I was reading 1 Cor 4.7, this morning. While Paul was speaking in the context of the church, it is a truth which can be applied to all things. You are a talented basketball player? Who gave you all that talent? Did you give it to yourself? A concert pianist? Where did you get that talent and the opportunity to bring it alive? An architect? A politician? A banker? Wealthy? Beautiful? When one thinks about it, so much of our lives are not our own choices. We'd like to think that we "picked ourselves up by our own boot straps," but the truth is, did we give ourselves our own will?

It's a very humbling truth from Paul, here.