I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9 (NLT)
It’s pointless to define and value ourselves by what we do. It may work in the world’s merit system but not with God.
What one does or who does what is not what’s important but that we are in union with God and working together with Him and one another.
One plants another waters but it is God who gives the increase. In other words regardless of what was done and who did it, the fruitful end result was because God was involved and behind it all.
Do not compare yourself with others whether what you do is superior or inferior to what they do based on outward human assessment.
Ask yourself am I doing this because God led me, am I depending on His wisdom and strength to do it, am I doing this for His glory? Then when it’s successfully accomplished you’ll not boast in yourself, you’ll not think you’re better than others but rather appreciate Him who both wills and works in you to do His good pleasure.
Philippians 2:13 (AMPC) [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
Even if what you’re doing seems very insignificant from a human point of view, though on the outside it appears eclipsed by the so called bigger higher more important tasks of others, know that because God led you, empowered you to do it then it is as important as the rest. If God is in it and behind it then it is important.
Many ministers especially pastors have talked about starting out as ushers in church and then God promoting them to being pastors. If going from usher to pastor is promotion then ushering is not so that important since God has to lift you from there!
But God doesn’t see it that way!
Both ushering and pastoring are serving to build God’s Church and therefore equally important.
Certainly the pastor has more and tougher responsibilities and decisions to make than the usher but both are equally important in God’s work.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (NLT) The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.
The one who ushers and the one who pastors work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For they are both God’s workers. We are all God’s workers.