🌿BREATHE TRUTH🌿
“I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” —1 Corinthians 3:6
🌿LIVE THE REAL TRUTH🌿
What Paul writes to the Corinthians here about ministry in the church can be applied to ministry in our families.
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We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work God gave us. (1 Corinthians 3:5-6)
Paul the evangelist and church planter sows the seed of the Gospel wherever he goes. He adheres to the work gifted to him by God.
We also plant the seed of the Good News into the garden of our family. Parents, you are the first line of pastors your children will interact and integrate into their lives. No pastoral or auxiliary church staff has the same access, availability, and acceptance into their world as you do. Unparalleled, unrivaled, unhindered. They can turn to you, talk to you, and trust you as their spiritual parent/pastor.
Shepherd them to cumulate good decisions and collect wisdom unreservedly. Shepherd them to meet daily with their good Father and mature in Him.
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I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. (1 Corinthians 3:7)
We are nurturers in ministry. Paul plants. Apollos pours. Apollos was a contemporary of Paul, and a church leader in Corinth and Ephesus. Both served the believers in these communities. Paul relinquished control over how the seeds of the Gospel would thrive and recognized that the gardening of souls is a team effort.
We are nurturers in our families. We nurture our loved ones, our spouses and offsprings. We set the gospel mantlepiece in our home and siphon its contents into our children’s lives. We lay pieces of the foundation of faith. But the ultimate growing process is directed and driven by the provision of God’s hands.
We plant the seed of the Good News.
We prep the soil where it will make its home.
We pour water to quench its thirst.
We position maximum Sonlight exposure.
We pray over the garden of our children’s life.
Then God takes the reins.
He is the one who governs spiritual life and grows spiritual fruit in our children’s life. God is the One who makes the harvest possible and plentiful. Yet as they mature, our kids make the final choice of which soil to build their relationship with God. This alleviates the guilt for us when they choose lesser things to cultivate in their life.
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The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. (1 Corinthians 3:8)
Throughout the seasons, God breaks up the fallow ground, breathes new life, births a harvest, and begins the cycle once more. He opens the door for us to join Him and others to participate and partake of this vision:
Planting and partnering with purpose in your children’s garden of faith.
We tend as a team. God will take the development stage to a higher level to increase their fruitfulness and faithfulness.
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The call to parenting includes our embracing the roles of spiritual pastors and spiritual gardeners. Most of us have little experience in either vocation. But God, who creates families, will equip and enable you to steward and shepherd your offsprings with divine purpose.
Wait and watch as your sons and daughters bloom and blossom in the Real Truth. What bears fruit will be good to eat and sweet for the soul, every day and eternally.
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Copyright 2019