InfoTej:

“Whatever I am now it is all because God poured out such kindness and grace upon me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10a TLB)

If you’ve grown up in the U.S., you’ve probably heard all of these statements before:

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
We make money the old-fashioned way — we earn it.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
There is no gain without pain.
God helps those who help themselves.

Everything about the American way of life teaches you that you get what you earn in life. We value work, sweat, effort, and performance. It’s called the American work ethic.

Overall, I like such a strong work ethic. God wants us to work at our jobs as if we are working for him. But God never relates to us based on our performance. The Bible tells us that everything God does in our lives — every blessing we have, every gift we receive — comes through his grace.

In other words, he gives us what we don’t deserve....