Happy DEPENDENT Day

July 4th is known as Independence Day. It’s the day established as the United States celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For Christians, this is an excellent time of year to celebrate our dependence. In 1 Corinthians 15:10, the apostle Paul says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.” Paul admittedly worked hard. He labored. That hard work of Paul was fueled by his dependence on God. All the credit in that verse is not given to Paul’s hard work, but to God’s grace. Paul even believed that his hard work came from God’s gracious giving in his life. When one’s heart is humbly dependent upon God, God accomplishes much through it. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Poor people are dependent on others, they beg for food because they can’t get it themselves. Blessed are those who spiritually are poor, they must be completely dependent upon Jesus Christ. So as we come to this celebration of the independence of our nation, remember that as Christians we are completely dependent on the grace of God and allow that to fuel you in fulfilling your ministry.