"GOD GAVE THE GROWTH!"

1 Corinthians 3:1-9                                (ESV)
"1 But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in CHRIST.
2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready,
3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each.
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but "GOD GAVE THE GROWTH".
7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only GOD WHO gives the growth.
8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
9 For we are GOD's fellow workers. You are GOD's field, GOD's building."



Occasionally I am amazed at how GOD provides sustenance and direction in my life, in spite of my inattention to HIS WORD!  Recently there was a post on a social media site from a high school friend basically pointing out that Christians seem to be "alarmed" at the degenerative culture we find ourselves in when GOD's WORD tells us over and over "In the last days" things will become extremely evil!  My thoughts were "the church has become less intimate with the Bible and more intimate with "this world". This has caused us to lose focus of what JESUS said will happen "in the last days"!

Already that morning I had seen a meme from a well-known Believer in CHRIST that had no reference to scripture.  Now, I'm not saying that everything shared in our lives MUST be scripturally based, but unless GOD's Word is at the foundation of what is being said, I find it a non-essential item in my life.

The Apostle Paul wanted to state this point RATHER BOLDLY when the Spirit of GOD inspired him to write "I planted, Apollos watered, but "GOD GAVE THE GROWTH".  One could read this to mean that no matter what we THINK we are accomplishing, unless GOD intervenes our efforts to reap a bountiful harvest will be in vane!  Weeds and other non-fruit bearing plants can look healthy and pretty, but only fruits that are connected to the TRUE VINE will withstand the heat and turmoil of life in the end.  Truly "HEARING" what the WORD of GOD is saying is accepting the required changes in our lives, not just listening to a sermon on Sunday mornings!

For far too many years of my life I have accepted being a shallow flower in the flower pot of life to be admired and lauded over by mankind!  But GOD has brought me to a place where all I am concerned with is what I can do to glorify HIM and HIS Kingdom!  If "GOD GAVE THE GROWTH" then no one else can receive glory for that growth.  It is far past time for the church to begin listening to the SPIRIT of GOD ALMIGHTY and not be as enamored with what "man" has to say!  After all, only "GOD CAN GIVE GROWTH" and only HE deserves to be praised for our growth!!!