DEVOTION - THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 2011

THURSDAY, MARCH 3^RD, 2011

“TEAMWORK”

BY

GREG LAURIES

He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one: "Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. . . . " —Matthew 13:3

In contrast to farming in the 21st century, first-century farming was quite simple. A farmer would plant his crops by walking along and throwing seed in a relatively indiscriminate manner. Sometimes the wind would pick up the seed, some might end up on a road, and some might land on ground that was embedded with stones or infested with weeds. And some would land on fertile, receptive soil.

In the same way, we are called to spread the seed of the Word of God as far as we can and to as many people as possible. And we don't always know where it is going. As Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, "I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work" (1 Corinthians 3:6-8).

Believers who may not even know each other are effectively working together. When Christians go out and share their faith with someone, they have just sowed seed. A little bit later, when the people who have heard the gospel encounter believers who live godly lives, the lifestyle of those Christians has, in effect, watered the seed the other Christians sowed. And later, someone invites them to church, where they hear the gospel and respond.

The people who sowed and the people who watered and the people who reaped are all secondary. God is the one who brought about the conversion. But He worked through all those believers, who worked together as a team.

Copyright © 2011 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.