Needed: Assistants, Not Advisers

In a famous Peanuts cartoon, Lucy is shouting from the outfield to Charlie Brown who is pitching, “Let’s win this one for a change, Charlie Brown!”

When he threw the next pitch, the batter hit the ball toward Lucy. Standing there, she watched the ball bounce and made no attempt to catch it.

In desperation Charlie Brown shouted, “If you are interested in winning, Lucy, why didn’t you try to catch the ball?”

“My role is strictly advisory,” she replied.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke sternly about roles. “My job was to plant the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but God gave the increase.”

Paul filled many roles in the early church. He was an evangelist, missionary, church-founder, author, educator and mentor to many of the leaders following Pentecost. What he did, he did well. But he knew that he could not do it all. He recognized the need for others to come alongside him and bring to completion the work that he started. It was the responsibility of Apollos to water the seed that Paul planted and to help the believers to grow stronger in their new found faith – to build on the foundation that Paul established.

We recognize the fact that God brings about the growth in Christians, but it involves many different individuals with a variety of gifts and talents to complete the process. Many Christians want to suggest to others what they should do. Few want to serve and share in expanding His Kingdom.

When we face our Lord we will not be asked, “Who have you directed?” but “What have you done?”

Prayer: Help us, Heavenly Father, to turn our saving faith into serving love by accepting our responsibilities to do what we are called to do whether planting, watering or weeding. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.