Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Everybody, Do Your Share”

1 Corinthians 3:5-9 

“What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

One of my favorite children’s books is The Trumpet of the Swan. The story is about a swan named Louis who is born mute. At first, everybody is worried about him, because a mute swan cannot attract a mate, and therefore he cannot lead a normal swan life. The book follows how his life changes as he uses a trumpet to communicate. Louis ends up having a far more adventurous life than an ordinary swan, eventually playing in nightclubs and even wooding the love of his life. How’s that for a transformed life?

However! This story would be incomplete without a host of other characters who help and support him along the way. There’s a boy named Sam who identifies that Louis can’t talk and first brings him to school, so he can learn other forms of communication. Louis’s swan father obtains a trumpet so his son can practice. Yet others offer him jobs. And so it goes.

In this passage, Paul admonishes the Corinthian church for picking sides and favoring some of God’s servants over others. But instead of focusing on what he says about unity, let’s focus today on how Paul reinforces that individuals all have different roles to play in building one another up. Someone’s job is to water, and someone’s job is to plant. In the process of God bringing growth, it can never be attributed to just one person; our lives are the fruit of a community project over time.

We all have a critical role to play in the church. Knowing this, we should be gladly engaged in growing others as they achieve transformation. You might be responsible for tilling hard soil, or planting seeds of thought, or watering and refreshing others.

At most AMI churches, the ministry year has begun. Have you intended to join God as He transforms His people? There are more ways to serve than just the visible titles and roles you might normally think of. All of us are engaged to do life together and have the privilege to encourage one another in growth. As we go to God’s house today, let’s ask for open eyes and commitment to see how to aid our brothers and sisters in growing.

Prayer: Father, thank You that we are called to one another and that You have given each person such purpose in Your family. Help us not to neglect the spiritual gifts You have given to us but to use them well in building each other up. Lord, give us hearts that love to serve one another. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 22