Work as hard as you can, only it’s not you at all.

Lately I have been contemplating the strength dichotomy Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:10:

10 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, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Before he was the apostle Paul, he was Saul—and Saul was successful.

Galatians 1:13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism: I intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it. 14 I advanced in Judaism beyond many contemporaries among my people, because I was extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.
Acts 22:3 He continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

Paul worked hard before he was a christian, and he definitely worked hard after his conversion. Therefore, Paul understood this dichotomy of working as hard as possible while simultaneously understanding that it was provided supernaturally by God.

What is Strength?

I like this definition from Rick Brennan in the Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament

strength : possession of the qualities required to do something or get something done

Think of it this way. I love a list. My mom discovered when I was a child that if my Friday chores were written as a list down in the kitchen I would not stop until I marked each one complete. As an adult, I still use a to do list, but lately I’ve been trying a done list. When you accomplish something, you write it down; more of a log than a list. I have enjoyed this, because more often than not, my to-do lists exceed my capacity. The mind is the creator of the to-do list, and by grace and power of God we can know the perfect to-do list.

Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

Strength then, is what is required to turn the to-do list into the done list.

Mark 12:30-31 tells us how we must use our strength:

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. 31 The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself.

To do this we need a better understanding of strength.

Where does strength come from?

This is where the dichotomy reveals itself. I have graduated high school, university, and have a masters degree in theology. I have raced three triathlons and countless half marathons. I have read hundreds of books. I learned to play the guitar. I work hard.

We all know impressive, driven, high-capacity people who take on the world and get things done: making ridiculous amounts of money, running large corporations, writing books faster than we can read, running non-profits that are helping the poor in third world countries. Each of us has seasons of life where we look back and are proud of accomplishments that we worked hard to see through.

The truth is, if we actually take the time to ask “how” we did those things, we will discover that it wasn’t all us anyway. God has given human beings strength to survive, and exercise dominion over the earth that he created. We are the only created beings made in “his image.”

I have a brain that thinks and works better than average, I have a body that is healthy enough to run, I have access to books and schooling to improve. These are gifts of God. Yes, those gifts can be squandered. I used the gifts to improve, but they are gifts nonetheless.

The things we see as priorities in our lives require strength, that is why we often say they take discipline. Strength is required to curate our lives the way we desire, to prioritize our family, to set our minds on things above, to guard our hearts, to make time for friends and hobbies.

Putting sin to death requires strength.

Putting on the new self requires strength.

God is for that. God is for hard work. God wants us to do those things, and the best news is he has promised to equip us with the qualities required. Paul says in Colossians 1:29:

I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me.

Living for Christ’s kingdom requires strength and the right kind of striving.

Paul labors. Paul works harder than anyone, yet his strength is beyond will-power and determination. Paul says it is HIS strength. God’s strength, that he graciously and powerfully works in him.

Habakkuk, Isaiah, David, Ezra, and Moses knew this. They all said in their writings:

The Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10 says the joy of the Lord is your strength.

Real strength, supernatural strength, comes from God.

Loving him with all my heart, soul, mind, and to love my neighbor as myself requires action. Strength is the catalyst.

What am I being strengthened for?

God wants to strengthen us. He delights to empower us. His plan is to conform us into the image of Christ for our good and his glory. Christians being strengthened and empowered through the Holy Spirit have been commissioned by Christ in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. Paul again writes in Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

I am being strengthened for supernatural, eternity altering ministry: the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). This ministry requires others, because the souls of men are the only part of creation that will last.

Will my work last?

Jesus says in Matthew 6:20

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal.

Treasures in heaven, eternal treasures, last forever. Things of this world will not.

7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9 But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. -1 Timothy 6:7-10

Christians, let us ask ourselves each day: will it last? The people, the ministry, the work that will last, let’s focus on giving our absolute all. Like Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:58, let’s always excel in the Lord’s work which will never be in vain. The things we may never be recognized for, get credit for, get a pat on the back for— the things only our Father in heaven will see this side of eternity. Work harder than anyone at those things. The good works that God has planned in advance for you to walk into involve the people in your circles of influence. Are you paying attention? Are you working hard with the strength that he powerfully works in you?

Saul lived an impressive life, had the resume, reached the top of his corporate ladder and got things done—but Paul was the one who impacted eternity.