Working in the Field

In this episode of Walking With Our Master, I reflect on Paul's simple yet powerful words from 1 Corinthians 3:6.  Every follower of Christ has a role in God's kingdom. Whether it's planting a seed through a kind word, watering through encouragement, or living as a faithful example, God invites each of us to participate in His work. We are not called to measure the harvest but to remain faithful in the field He has placed before us. 

Join me as we discover the joy of serving faithfully and trusting God to bring the increase.

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The Prattville family meets at 344 East Main Street, Prattville, AL.  Our web site is: https://prattvillechurch.org.  

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hello friends. Welcome to Walking with Our Master. I'm your host, Dave Leighton. Whether you're starting your morning or winding down your evening, let's take a few moments to center our hearts on some thoughts about what really matters. Today I'm looking at a passage we are all familiar with. We've heard it quoted many times. You can probably quote it. It's from 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 6. Paul says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. Well, before we look at today's passage, I'd like us to remember something Jesus taught us. Our Lord never intended for his followers to simply listen to his words. He calls us to act upon them. James echoed the same truth when he writes, but be doers of the word and not hearers only in James chapter 1, verse 22. So Jesus told us to go. He told us to teach and to make disciples. He told us to love one another. And he told us to let our light shine before others. Those are not suggestions for a few especially gifted Christians. They were instructions for every disciple to become actively involved as they are able and the opportunity arises to work in the kingdom. So what does that look like in everyday life? Paul gives us a beautiful picture in 1 Corinthians 3 6. I planted, Apollos watered, and God gave the growth. In that one sentence, Paul shows us how faithful disciples obey the Lord's command. In one short verse that's easy to remember, easy to memorize. Paul reminds us that every follower of Christ has a role to fulfill. Notice that each part of the process involves action. Paul planted, Apollos watered, God gave the growth. No one stood on the sidelines. That's an important lesson for us. Sometimes we pray for God to work while forgetting that He has invited us to join Him in His work. God certainly has all power, but throughout Scripture, He chooses to work through willing hearts and willing hands. He invites us to become participants in what He is doing. Paul's illustration of farming helps us understand that truth. No farmer expects a harvest simply because he owns a field. Before the first ear of corn appears, someone must prepare the soil, someone must plant the seed, someone must return to water it. And throughout the growing season, someone removes weeds, watching for harmful insects, and cares for the crop. Every one of those actions is deliberate. The same is true in God's kingdom. Sharing his word is deliberate and should become natural. Inviting someone to worship, that's deliberate. And so too is encouraging a discouraged brother or sister. Praying with someone is deliberate. And so too is living a Christ-centered life before our family and friends and neighbors and co-workers. All of that is deliberate. They are opportunities God places before us every day. God has never called us to be spectators. He calls us to be workers in his field. Sometimes we wait for God to change someone's life while he's waiting for us to plant the seed or offer the word of encouragement. You know, God never forces people into his kingdom. He lovingly invites them. And many times that invitation comes to the words, actions, and examples of one of his children. That's us. There are other lessons we could remember from Paul's illustration. For example, if a field is ignored, it never remains empty. Weeds grow quite well without anyone planting them. Neglect always produces something, but it rarely produces the fruit we hope to harvest. The same is true spiritually. If we choose to be bystanders instead of servants, opportunities are missed. Hearts go unencouraged, and seeds remain in the bag instead of finding good soil. The harvest God desires rarely happens by accident. It grows because faithful Christians continue planting, watering, serving, and trusting that God will do what only He can do. Perhaps today your field is your home. Maybe it's your workplace or your neighborhood, your congregation, or just a friend who needs hope. On many days I have the opportunity to plant and water at our local cancer center where I volunteer, I am often amazed at the chances I have to plant and water on my simple interactions with patients and staff. But wherever God has placed you, don't underestimate the value of the simple acts of kindness and faithfulness that He has placed in our hands, a conversation, an invitation, a prayer, a Bible study, a visit, a kind word, or maybe a quiet act of service that no one sees may become the very seed that God uses to change a life. We may never know this side of eternity how many lives were touched because we faithfully planted or faithfully watered. And that is all right, because the harvest has never depended on us alone. As Paul reminds us, I planted, Paula's watered, but God gave the growth. Our responsibility is to remain faithful in the field. God will take care of the harvest. So as we walk with our master today, let's ask ourselves a simple question. What seed have I planted today? Then let's trust God with what happens next. You know there's one often overlooked insight from Paul's statement, and that is that God never gives us a quota. He simply tells us to plant and to water. He takes care of the increases. Our responsibility is not to count the harvest. Our responsibility is to remain faithful in the field. If we begin working with a desired number in mind, we may become discouraged when we don't see immediate results. Instead, let's work out of obedience to our master. We plant, we water, we encourage, we serve, and then we trust God to do what only He can do and what He will do. Well thanks for listening today as together we walk with our Master. Please join us again next week as we continue seeking truth, growing in faith, and getting back to what really matters.