Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1-2).

In Chapter 9, Paul is defending himself against those who doubted his right to speak as an apostle.

Seriously

They were doubting Paul.

We can cut these Corinthians a little slack–Paul was not yet The PAUL, if you get my meaning. So some at Corinth doubted this guy who claimed to speak for God and exercised such authority in their lives.

I guess I kinda get it.

So Paul defends his position. But he doesn’t show the Corinthians his diplomas or degrees or letters of recommendation from the other apostles. He says, in essence: 

Look at my life.

Look at my work.

See the fruit God has produced in and through me.

Beloved, can we say the same? If someone were to challenge your position with Christ, could you simply point them to the life you live, and leave it at that?

There’s something to chew on.

Happy Monday, Beloved