"I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow."
1 Corinthians 3:6 NIV
I had conversations recently with two men who expressed a desire to see the harvest of their labors. The desire is not limited to these two but seems to be a hunger across humanity. If you put in the labor you want to see the results.
Jesus talked about the value of each person involved in bringing a crop to harvest. The soil must be prepared. The seed must be sown. The growing plants must be watered. And the ripened grain must be harvested. That's a lot of work! You who are farmers or gardeners know the effort that must be used in each step. And you know the reward for putting out the effort.
No harvest ever comes without the prerequisite work. I was an accounting major in college for a couple of years. Because I transferred from one university to another after my first semester, I was behind and out of sync with the recommended coursework. Trying to catch up, I took Cost Accounting before taking Intermediate Accounting - a prerequisite course. I struggled through Cost Accounting more than I should have because I didn't have the groundwork of understanding needed for the course. I did not "harvest" a good grade because I had not "planted" and "watered" my knowledge of accounting!
The harvest will come and it will be bountiful when the planting and watering have taken place. So Jesus says each part of the process is important - not just the reaping.
Paul refused to argue about this and simply said, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow." At the end of the harvest, the glory belongs to God not to us. I believe that although those who sow and water may never know the outcome of their labors while on this earth, they will be pleasantly surprised in heaven.
Are you planting and watering? Are you looking for the harvest? Pray that God will help you see how you can be a worker in the field.
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