Thursday, March 23, 2023 Some material taken from NAMB Who’s Your One 40 day devotional.
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 1 CORINTHIANS 3:5–6, CSB
God Gives Growth
If you like fast-action results, you should not take up gardening. It is the slow and steady act of consistent day-in and day-out nurturing and cultivating the plants. Likewise, sharing the gospel where we live, work and play can be slow work. We build relationships and share the love of Christ in word and deed. We pray our friends and family who do not know Christ will turn away from their sins and turn toward Him in humble submission. In this sometimes-slow process, the Lord uses other men and women to call people to Himself. Each person has a role they play in their influence of drawing people into the kingdom. While God uses our labor and the labors of others, true spiritual growth comes from God Himself. As you share the gospel with your one, resist the urge to become frustrated when people become Christians or grow spiritually as a result of another’s influence. You may plant and another may water, but ultimately God causes them to grow.
We plant the seeds in people’s lives, but we may not see the fruit. Recall the people who played a role in your own story of salvation. Communicate—a thank you note, a phone call, a text message, etc.—your gratitude in their willingness to be used by the Lord to call you to Himself.
Who’s Your One Prayer Guide 19
So the Lord said, “You cared about the plant, which you did not labor over and did not grow. It appeared in a night and perished in a night. But may I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot distinguish between their right and their left, as well as many animals?” JONAH 4:10-11, CSB
Father, I know You are a kind God who cares about the lost and those destined for destruction. Like Nineveh of old, our world is filled with people who don’t know their right from their left. People like ____________ live in sinful rebellion to You. You’ve appointed men and women to be your mouthpiece to a dying world, just as Jonah was. Spare _______________ from destruction and use my words as a tool to call him/her to repentance. Allow me to speak clearly and boldly about the realities of hell and Your eternal wrath and call _____________ to repent before it is too late.