“So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is ANYTHING, but God who causes the growth.”  (I Corinthians 3:7)

Writing to a church which was embroiled in a “personality contest”, the Apostle Paul makes it clear how we are to regard our role in the success of God’s church. He reminds us here that we are not “anything”; rather it is “God who causes the growth.”  

This is a good reminder for those whose churches are experiencing a measure of success (of course we also need to be careful about what we label “success”, but that is another lesson!)  When our church grows, or our Sunday School class has to move to a bigger room, or we lead someone to the Lord, or have a successful mission trip, we are tempted to think that “we must really be something.”  Paul says, no, rather you are not “anything”!  It is not just “lip service” that “God causes the growth” in a church. He really does. We don’t cause it, and we can’t reverse it if it stops. It is amazing to see just how powerless people are when God has withheld His blessing from a church.

If God is blessing your church, class, or ministry, and He is using you to facilitate it, be sure you keep this attitude: I am not “really something”. The good that happens is from GOD. If you lose that perspective, you may have to re-gain it the hard way!