Faithful Servants of God
There is always the temptation to turn God's mission field into a theatre or playground where you have actors and spectators; with actors trying hard to outdo the others and spectators shouting in support of their preferred actors."What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants...".
Paul blames the Corinthians for their weakness and non-proficiency. He observes that those who are sanctified are so only in part, because of the way they conducted themselves. They had mutual quarrels and factions among them upon the account if their ministers.
You can tell the relationship of someone to God by looking at how they relate to their fellow beings. If one is always at variance with his fellow men, if he is a quarrelsome, argumentative, trouble making creature; he maybe a diligent church attender, he may even be a church office bearer, but he is not a man of God. But if a man is at one with his fellow men, if his relationship with them is marked by love, unity and concord; then he is on the way to being a man of God.
The glorification of human leaders is folly. We are reminded here that in God's garden, one may plant a seed, the other may water it, but none can claim to have made the seed to grow. That belongs to God and God alone. The man who plants and the man who waters are all on one level; neither can claim any precedence over the other; they are but servants together for one master - God.
God uses human instruments to bring to men the message of His truth and love, but it is He alone who works the hearts of men to new life. He alone created the heart, so He alone can re-create it.
So as as Christians workers, we have different jobs and we see different results, but God is the one who gets the work done. Only God gives the increase. Real faithfulness happens when we're peacefully content with what God has called us to do and thankful for what He has called others to do.
Are you a planter or waterer? Thank God for your calling.
| What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe--as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1Corinthians3:5-7) |
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My name is Jane Moyo Nyirongo, mother to Precious, Terence and Rachel. I'm serving at Garden congregation in Lusaka.
