“So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
-1 Corinthians 3:7

Sometimes I wear myself down to the bone trying to make ministry happen. And the result? Hardly anything. All that effort for nothing. I try to be a part of God changing people’s lives and it just doesn’t happen.

One time I put together a special leadership class for a group of students. We got together every week, hung out, played some games, and I taught using my favorite student leadership book (Habitudes). It was fun but I felt like it was a constant struggle to try to actually teach anything–like a wrestling match every week. The group was a challenge to focus and just didn’t seem to engage with the material. It took a lot of work and this day I don’t know if any of them were impacted or changed by the whole thing.

I did everything I was supposed to. I prayed, but I guess you can always pray more. I prepared. I loved on the students. Maybe we should have had a longer class, or played less games, or played more games…

It’s easy to work hard for the sake of ministry, and even easier to think that ministry depends on your hard work. But as soon as we start walking down that path we’re just asking for trouble.

Ministry Isn’t Hard Because It Ain’t Us
When the Lord created us, He gave us each a unique purpose in life. He wants us to learn how to serve Him and be a part of the work He’s doing. But He never meant for us to do it alone. He gave us the ability to work and to work hard, but He never meant for us to do all the work ourselves (John 15:5). If we try it alone we just realize how inadequate we are.

All our hard work, planning, speaking, teaching, mentoring & coaching… All of it is seeds and water. It is the Lord who makes things grow. We can be the absolute best youth pastor in the world, but without Him, it all falls apart. We need Him to take our simple seeds and water to make things grow.

Lord, I pray that you would remind us how much we need you. Show us how we cannot do ministry on our own and help us to depend on you. I pray that you would also bless everything we put our hands to. Let none of it be in vain.

Lord we ask that you would take all of the seeds and all of the water we have tried to pour into students lives and make it grow. Teach them to know you and to live for you. Help them make good decisions and build foundations of godliness in their lives. Develop them as leaders in their own generation, and raise them up to be agents of change in a culture that is so often against You. Lord we are your humble servants. Please teach us Your way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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