Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
Anyone who has ever planted a garden understands the steps that have to take place in order for there to actually be a harvest of good things to eat. Each of those steps is vital. If any of them are skipped the harvest will be hindered or nonexistent. Each seed contains the possibility of something delicious, but that remains only a possibility until it is planted. The ground can provide the nutrients a growing plant needs, but the weeds must be removed so they don’t choke out the plants. The rain is vital, but too much rain can be as destructive as too little rain. While some of these things are more under our control than others, all of them are dependent on God. Ultimately He is the One who produces the harvest.
The same is true in the spiritual realm. There are things that are vital for us to do. We must be students of the Word of God. We must sow the good seed of the gospel into the lives of others. We must remove the “weeds” from our lives that keep us from being productive for God. But ultimately the results of the harvest are His responsibility. That means that we have nothing of which to boast—He gives whatever increase there is from our work. That also means that we have nothing to fear. As long as we have been faithful to the task, planting or watering or weeding or whatever is required of us, God views our work as successful regardless of the earthly results.
