I Cor. 3 -- no limits to achievement

"There is no limit to what you can achieve, as long as you don't care who gets the credit." The great tyrants of history viewed themselves as the apex of history, demigods astride the earth. Successful leaders, however, view themselves as agents of something far more important than themselves. The Nazi regime evaporated after the death of Hitler. When Alexander died, his empire quickly split into four squabbling parts. The Turkish Republic, by contrast, has outlived its founding father by nearly a century. Kemal Ataturk was not in business for himself. His team took over his vision, and shepherded through the generations to the present.

Paul had a similar vision of participating in something far bigger than himself:

1Co 3:6 Tohumu ben ektim, Apollos suladı. Ama Tanrı büyüttü.
1Co 3:7 Önemli olan, eken ya da sulayan değil, ekileni büyüten Tanrı'dır.
1Co 3:8 Ekenle sulayanın değeri birdir. Her biri kendi emeğinin karşılığını alacaktır.
1Co 3:9 Biz Tanrı'nın emektaşlarıyız. Sizler de Tanrı'nın tarlası, Tanrı'nın binasısınız.
1Co 3:10 Tanrı'nın bana lütfettiği görev uyarınca bilge bir mimar gibi temel attım, başkaları da bu temel üzerine inşa ediyor. Herkes nasıl inşa ettiğine dikkat etsin.

Let's look at a few words in 3:10:

• bilge -- wise. learned. erudite. omniscient. polymath. profound. sophisticated. wise person. scholar. luminary. owl. sage. sophisticate.
• mimar -- architect. master builder. builder. surveyor.
• gibi -- like, as. (one of those interesting Turkish "post-position" words)
  
• temel -- foundation
  
• attım -- I have laid
  
• dikkat etsin -- let him be careful.
  

Paul had a key role in launching communities of believers in cities throughout the Roman empire. However, he was not alone. Others built upon his work -- and ultimately, God gave the increase. He, like we, was part of something far more important than himself.