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.
1 Corinthians 3:5-8
Maybe you know someone who is an expert gardener. Perhaps they manage to get more vegetables from the ground than anyone else around. Perhaps their flowers are the biggest and brightest in the neighborhood. Perhaps the fruit from their trees is larger and sweeter than anyone else’s.
The best gardeners apply themselves to the craft. They work to improve the soil. They understand how much water different plants need. They faithfully tend their gardens day after day—planting, watering, weeding, and watching. Good gardening requires both knowledge and diligence.
Paul used a picture of gardening to describe our work for God. In His service, there are those who plant and those who water. Some may have the opportunity to share the gospel for the first time, while others come along later to encourage, teach, and help growth take place. Each role matters. Each part is necessary. But none of us can produce spiritual life on our own.
What is true in a physical garden is true spiritually as well: growth is something only God can produce. We can prepare, we can labor, we can be faithful—but we cannot change a heart. Only God can bring the increase.
Trusting God for the harvest does not mean we stop working, expecting the harvest to come automatically. It means that we pray while we work, and when the harvest comes we give all the glory and credit to God.
