But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Galatians 6:14
Not so long ago I was watching an interview on a news station. In the interview, the person was describing all the things that they had accomplished. There was a huge list of all the “great things” that this person and those working with him had accomplished. What really stuck out to me was that the person being interviewed said that there was one common goal for his team.
As I reflected on that interview, I kept coming back to the goal that the person shared. Perhaps that was a goal that they had set for themselves or that an investor had set for them. In any case, they were boasting in their work specifically in accomplishing that goal.
Accomplishing things in life is not a bad thing at all. In fact, it’s quite common for us to have desires and ambitions in life to accomplish many things. But what is behind our ambition and our drive to accomplish things? What is the goal?
When the person being interviewed made their statements, their goal was recognition for themselves and the team. They wanted notoriety and fame. Paul shares here in Galatians that our boasting should not be in ourselves, but rather our Savior. He is the one that has given us the ambition and the talent to complete the tasks that we do. All that we accomplish is nothing in ourselves, but rather by the grace of God.
While it is easy to want to receive attention for the things that we have done, we should not forget that all that we have is of God. He has blessed us beyond measure and we should share that with the world. We are not successful because of ourselves, but because of God.