In my office, a framed newspaper photo hangs, depicting a much younger version of me. In it, I’m standing in the bed of a pickup truck that is loaded with 50 tall marijuana plants. Sporting a classic 1980s cop look, I wear a thick mustache, a tight polyester uniform, and aviator sunglasses. And, I’m basking in the glory of a large drug seizure. The irony is, I did nothing to earn the right to be there.

I just happened to be at the jail when the deputies who found the plants came in. They acted on a tip, went to a house, and found a guy tending his pot field. After a short chase, they promptly arrested him and chopped down all his plants. I just showed up to see the great harvest.

A newspaper reporter arrived to take a photo of the seizure. “Why don’t you get up in the truck?” He asked. You mean, take credit for someone else’s work? I thought. “I sure will!” I said. That’s how I got my photo on the front page of the newspaper on September 7, 1988.

I guess I should feel a twinge of guilt for my hypocrisy. I got credit for someone else’s hard work. In my defense, I didn’t ask to be in the photo. But, I did get a cool print to go on the wall. It’s been a great conversation piece for many years. All because of someone else’s work.

Ironically, I will show up in heaven one day, only because of someone else’s work. It won’t be because I did anything to earn it. Jesus did everything needed to get me there. Though I can’t take credit for what He did, He gives me credit for it. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.” This is not hypocrisy, it’s grace. And, it is fantastic news. Believe it.