There is so much to unpack in the beginning of First Corinthians 3. But, man oh man, have I been completely struck with five words:

But. God. Causes. The. Growth.

How dare I even think for one nano-second that I,…me,…Carly, can give someone the faith to believe. This, is for God alone. Only He can cause the growth.

The weather this week has literally drawn me out of my house. I just cannot get enough of the outdoors lately. I love to read outside, but even when I wanted a break from reading, I didn’t want to go inside, so I’ve been doing things I have literally NEVER done on my own….get ready….I hope some of you who know me well are sitting down….here goes:
I’ve been working outside. Like yard work. Like getting dirty. Like dirt has been under my fingernails. AND I LOVE IT!

While spending so much time outside, I’ve noticed all the buds on trees literally ready to burst forth. While I’m not looking forward to the onslaught of the pollen attack that comes with those buds opening, I am ready to see their beauty.

But, I can no more go to those tree limbs and open those buds myself than I can give a person the faith he/she needs to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. Only God can do both of these things.

Only God causes the growth.
Not me.
Not a Sunday School Class.
Not an amazing message.
Not a conversation.
Not works.
Only God.

I can plant. Another can water. But it is God who causes the growth.

Lord, keep me humble. Thank you for this reminder. How dare I think that I am anything without You. You, alone, are the One who causes the growth. You give opportunity to me, and I pray that I am found faithful with what/whom You have entrusted me with. Lord, keep my eyes fixed on the fact that I am Your fellow worker, Your field, Your building. And nothing more. All I am, all I have, belongs to You, and only You cause the growth. Keep my heart broken for those whom have not found faith in You. For it is in You that I find life, and it is this life that I desire for others to discover too. Amen.

“What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”
1 Corinthians 3: 5-9