"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." 1 Cor 3:6
When it comes to doing the work of the Lord, it is not unusual that we sometimes get discouraged. Whether it involves work in and around the congregation like teaching or serving or external things like evangelism or acts of benevolence toward others, sometimes the enormity of the work can be overwhelming. Christ said in Matt 9:37, "...the harvest truly is plenteous but the workers are few."
To make things even more challenging, it seems that it is always the same people that do all the work. As much as there are those around us who are part of the fellowship and enjoy a relationship with God as we do, it seems that some do not quite demonstrate their love through the actions the Lord calls upon us to take. [Be cautious about presuming what others do for the cause of Christ in their own way and their own time]
The encouragement to you beloved is simply to do what you can do. We are called upon to serve. We all have diverse talents and as members of the body, are responsible to the whole for doing the things that we have been gifted to do. To carry the biblical analogy of the body a bit further, if you are an ear in the body, your job is to hear. You do not have the ability to see or digest food. That is someone else's responsibility. It takes all of us doing our part in order for the body to work as it was designed.
As Christians, we are called upon to plant seeds and water them. Those seeds may fall into a variety of places that are hostile to growth, but some find fertile soil. And for even those to grow, it is God that adds the increase, not ourselves. Be not weary in well doing. Do what you can do and encourage others to do what they can do.
Loving Like Jesus,
Lee
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