Christ Working

Looking back on the past twenty years since my ordination, and more than thirty years of ministry, I am constantly reminded that everything I was blessed to ‘accomplish’ was in fact not my accomplishment. Everything I have ever done good has been the work of Christ.

It is very tempting to ‘take credit’ for all the good things we accomplish in our lives. We get promoted at work because of the work we accomplish. We get bonuses at work because of something good we did at work. To be honest, nothing we accomplish is our own.

In today’s reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Romans, we hear about the joy and pride Saint Paul experienced when he looked back at everything Christ accomplished through his travels place to place. Saint Paul gave Christ all the credit since he was only His servant.

Brethren, in Christ Jesus I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has wrought through me to win obedience from the Gentiles, by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Holy Spirit, so that from Jerusalem and as far round as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ, thus making it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written, “They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him.” This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be sped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a little. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem with aid for the saints. For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem; they were pleased to do it, and indeed – they are in debt to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. When therefore I have completed this, and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go on by way of you to Spain; and I know that when I come to you I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Romans 15.17-29

In the simplest way, when it comes to the work of Christ and spreading the Gospel, it can only be accomplished because of Christ. Only Christ can reveal Himself to people. Only Christ can soften someone’s heart to believe and follow Him. Only Christ can convert empires.

He needs us for sure. We are His coworkers in so much as we live as examples to those around us. The lives of the saints, like Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves who founded the Great Lavra of the Kiev Caves, inspire others to follow Christ. Only Christ can whisper in their ears to follow.

The moment we think we are the reason for anything good, in or outside the boundaries of the church, we are delusional. Remember that raise you got last year at work. Did you forget it was God Who gave you the talent that led the team to success? Without God’s talents we fail.

Our only role in anything good is our willingness to be used by God for His Gospel. Beyond that, the work we accomplish is nothing more than the work of His servants. Saint Paul wouldn’t even preach where someone had already preached, lest he “build on another man’s foundation.”

This reminds us that each of us has a role to play as God’s servants. We may not all be called as evangelists, but we are all called as workers for Christ in our daily lives. God’s work is not only accomplished inside the Church.

EVERYTHING good we do is by God’s grace. At work, at school, in the public square, and even inside the Church, our witness to God’s goodness in our lives is what inspires others to follow Him. Saint Anthony of the Kiev Caves didn’t invite followers. Christ sent others to him.

If you want to be a witness to God’s grace, it begins with your daily interactions with others. When your supervisor praises you for a job well done respond, “Thank God,” and nothing else. Every time you are praised, give God the credit.

Saint Anthony refused to be Abbot of the Monastery he established. He had every ‘right’ to be their leader, but he chose instead to continue living as a cave-dweller in humility. We may honor him today, but it was God Who ultimately established the Kiev Caves.

I invite you to spend the next few days ‘forcing yourself’ to deflect credit toward God for everything good others praise you for. I say ‘force yourself’ because the devil will be working overtime using your ego to keep you in your delusion. It will feel awkward to refuse credit.

As we pray in the Divine Liturgy, “For every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from You, the Father of lights.” Only God is good. Only God should get the credit. If we want credit, we should take credit for our mistakes rather than our accomplishments.

For a complete study on the Book of Romans, check out our Bible Study on Romans.