“April Showers Bring…May Flowers.” This is a common sentiment spoken this time of year…in April, and it reveals an important truth we understand in our agricultural region. You see, an essential part of the growth process, in plant life, is that of nurturing or watering because planting a seed isn’t enough. That seed must be watered or nurtured before it will produce it’s “fruit.”
As true as this statement is for our gardens, fields, and such, it is also true in the spiritual realm in life. Nurturing or watering the seeds of faith is essential for “fruit” to be produced in our lives. In fact, the apostle Paul briefly touches on this truth in 1 Corinthians, a letter to the church, or Jesus followers, in Corinth. This was a church that Paul started, so it is a very young church, yet it is already dealing with divisions.
You see, Paul wasn’t the only person traveling around sharing the Good News of Jesus. There were other traveling evangelists and one of them was named Apollos. And it appears that Apollos at some point was in Corinth and made an impact. So, a division in the church came down to who was the better traveling teacher, preacher, and church planter…Paul or Apollos. Some said Paul and others said Apollos.
Paul wades into this mess saying that it isn’t about who was the most prominent or important person in starting the local church, rather God is the one who gets the glory. Paul clarifies things by saying, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6 In other words, he is saying planting is important, and watering or nurturing is important. But the point of it all is for growth to happen and God’s Spirit is what provides the growth.
So, the question I’d like to ask is this…Who are you nurturing in the faith? Who are you pouring the love of God into so that they are being “watered” and grow in their faith toward God? To make it more personal, a second question to consider is this, what seeds are you nurturing in your own life or what seeds are you allowing to be watered in your faith?
Spiritual growth doesn’t just happen. It is nurtured, watered, fed, etc. because that is how the “fruit” of God’s love is produced in our lives. It takes seeds being planted, those seeds being nurtured, and then allowing God’s Spirit to make the fruit evident in our lives. With God at work in our lives it isn’t just April showers we seek, it is nurturing the seeds of faith all year long. Through it all, what we can know is this…God is growing something beautiful within each of us.
Pastor Keith