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“I Am What I Am”

Thoughts for Today:

The popular 1933 cartoon character, Popeye the Sailor Man, sang a song about himself:

"And I yam what I yam and I yam what I yam that I yam / And I gotta lotta muscle and I only gots one eye / And I never hurts nobody and I'll never tell a lie / Top to me bottom and bottom to me top / That's the way it is 'til the day that I drop, what am I / I yam what I yam!"

Paul too declared (1 Corinthians 15:10a): "But by the grace of God I am what I am...? However, unlike Popeye (whose strength became supersized following his consumption of a can of spinach), Paul acknowledged that his strength came from God (1 Corinthians 15:10b): "...and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them?yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.?

In our passage today, Paul explains to those who have questioned his apostolic authority, "Not only is it by God's grace, it is also by His will that I am an apostle." It wasn't Paul who woke up one day and decided to become an apostle. Jesus Christ Himself appointed Paul to apostleship, and by grace, determined the ministry and authority under which he would operate. (Acts 26:16-18: "I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.") In other words, Paul yielded to the man God made him to be ("by the grace of God I am what I am"), and also allowed the Lord to lead him in His work ("by the will of God").

Questions to Ponder:

Many times I hear people say, "I am what I am," to explain their poor behavior. However, God didn't engineer any of His children for failure. It is the sinful nature that corrupts the uniqueness our Lord gave us individually. In what ways has the Lord's blessing become something different in your life? Have you repented, asked forgiveness, and turned your will over to the Lord's?

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About the author

Pocket Devotions are written by Mike Brooks. A retired businessman, he is Moderator of South Shores church, leads the Deacon Board, serves on the finance committee, and he teaches a Men's Bible study and the Men's Ministry. Mike has a passion for evangelical missions. He is the husband of Sherry; the father of Ryan, Natalie, Krissy, Rebecca, and Amanda; the father-in-law of Ariel; and the grandfather of Conner and Christian.