Two Bits an Hour

As a young boy on our family’s cotton farm in Lynn County at New Home, Texas, I hoed  a lot of weeds.  I had a lot of time to think, and I decided to make a request from the boss.  The boss was my Dad.  I told my Dad that I thought I should receive ‘some pay’ for my work.  He asked me if I thought ‘two bits an hour’ sounded OK.  Since I did not know how much ‘two bits’ were, I thought it sounded like a pretty good deal.  So, for the rest of the summer, my Dad paid me two bits an hour for hoeing weeds from our cotton crop.  At the end of the week, he would give me the quarters that I earned and I would put them in a drawer.  I was proud of the drawer full of quarters in my room.  I would look at them and count them and hold them in my hands.  The quarters represented my hard work.  The quarters were a source of pride.  They were a reason for boasting.

In Philippians 3, Paul writes about his source of boasting before he became a Christian.  Paul was proud of his heritage.  He was born an Israelite, circumcised on the 8th day, of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Hebrew of Hebrews.  In addition, he was a Pharisee.  He was also proud of his zeal and his blameless law-keeping.

There are many sources of pride and boasting for us as humans.  We may take pride in our looks or our athletic ability or our education.  It may be a special skill or our wealth.  But, Scripture reminds us that our ONLY ground for boasting as Christians is Jesus our Redeemer.  

26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (I Corinthians 1:26-31)

It was many years ago when I earned ‘two bits an hour’ in a cotton field.  Unfortunately, in my spiritual life, I looked at my personal works of righteousness as a source of boasting before God for many years.  I am grateful that I now realize that the only ground for boasting SPIRITUALLY is the grace of God—His mercy and forgiveness.

Father, thank you for paying the price for my sins at Calvary.  Help me to live in grateful service.

   

Terry Brown

Abilene, Texas