What’s Your Role?

While you may hear farmers brag about the harvest they had in a particular year, you willl seldom hear them claim responsibility for the crop’s growth. You may hear some talk about working harder or smarter by picking the best variety of seed for their region, supplying additional nutrients with fertilizer or irrigation, or using a variety of methods to suppress the growth of weeds. At the end of the crop year, the farmer is ultimately dependent on a power higher than himself to make the harvest plentiful.

The same can be said about evangelism. We are told in 1st Corinthians 3:5-8 “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

The parable of the four soils (Luke 8:4-18) tells us that the farmer went out to sow his seed (the word of God) and that the type of soil (heart of the person) it fell on determined what would happen to the seed. Whether you are a sower/planter or a waterer to family and friends this Christmas season, the results are not in your hands. God has given each of us a job to do and has told us to give it all, including the glory of a bountiful harvest, to God. The question is do you trust God enough to leave it in His hands?

The Ultimate Quarterback

Have you ever watched a football game and seen a receiver leap in the air for a pass thrown over the middle? This type of play especially catches my attention when the defender(s) is (are) ready to knock the receiver’s head off. The amount of trust the receiver places in the quarterback is huge (as his career could be ended by a huge hit on any given play…and this play is particularly risky to the receiver). The quarterback certainly doesn’t want to the receiver to get hit (or hurt) for no purpose. However, making a large gain sometimes comes at a cost (whether it is a hard hit that requires extra time in the whirlpool the following week or a serious injury).

God is the greatest quarterback because he knows what is needed to advance His kingdom. His passes are always on target for the route we are supposed to run. Missed opportunities (incompletions) only occur when we run the wrong route (being in our will instead of God’s) or when we see the defenders lurking (challenges in the world) and refuse to leap in the air for the ball (lack of faith). There are times when our bodies and mind may be rattled by the hits put on us by the defenders, but our obedience advances God’s cause. However, if a Christian’s career on Earth is ended in serving God (dying in the firm grip of His will), he/she has contributed to something much greater than the game of football. God can use our witness long after we have played our last play on Earth (see the account of Stephen’s death in Acts 7:54-60 which led to the conversion of Saul in Acts 9:1-30 as an example).

So, the real question is who (or what) are we willing to leap over the middle for? Do you trust God enough to follow His will? What about when it looks like doom and gloom are all around and just waiting to pounce? Are we willing to pay the temporary price it may take to work as tools for the greatest quarterback of all time to lead His team (that He created…least I forget that God is also the Coach, GM, and owner of His team) to victory? He’s already won the game (so our obedience or lack thereof won’t affect the final outcome), but wouldn’t it be great to be able to be a tool and catch some passes from the greatest quarterback of all time and advance His cause?