If the path I travel
Lead me to the cross,
If the way Thou choosest
Lead to pain and loss,
Let the compensation
Daily, hourly, be
Shadowless communion,
Blessed Lord, with Thee.
— M.E. Barber
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
— 1 Corinthians 3:6
In our church life, or in our Christian life, we often rely upon things or set our hope on something other than the Lord Himself. Perhaps it is our spiritual ability or our serving in the church life. The Lord eventually must take these things away. This is a very deep lesson. Perhaps we really love serving the young people and feel that without serving them our Christian life would have no hope. Or we may feel that we can rely upon our spiritual parents in the church life. The Lord will eventually bring us to the point that we no longer rely upon such things. Eventually, the only person who can be our hope and supply is the Lord Himself.
Paul said that he planted and that Apollos watered, but only God Himself could give the increase or growth (1 Cor. 3:6). This is a lesson even those young in the Lord can experience. We should go to fellow believers for fellowship, but we should not rely upon them more than we rely upon the Lord Himself. Others can help us to read the Bible, pray, or understand certain things, but they cannot give us growth. Only the Lord Himself can do this.
Adapted from Ruth: Growth Unto Maturity, page 16-17.
Tomorrow: “Leaving and Returning”