by Pastor Doug Cox

So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. (1 Corinthian 3:7-9 NKJV)

One of the ministers I follow was called to the Soviet Union. Shortly after his family got there it broke up and it became very difficult for everyone to get bare necessities, including gasoline. The minister’s home was out in the country which was farmland, and they tell of how one morning they looked out their window and were surprised to see a farmer pushing a plow that was harnessed to the shoulders of his wife. Because there was no gas available for their small tractor, they did the next best thing because they wanted to eat.

This story could have different scenarios. Rick and his wife could have looked out their window to see the husband and wife fighting over who would pull and who would push. Or the husband could have been out there struggling alone or vice versa. Or they could have left the field abandoned to produce nothing. Instead, they worked together as a team to get the work that needed to be done, done, so God could bring forth a harvest of food for them.

Friends, every aspect of our Christian life works better with the support and help of others. This includes marriage, church life, the workplace and so on. Too many Christians think the blessings of God come easily. They think going to church and reading a Bible verse on occasion will change everything. They think God is obligated to bless them just because they called on the Lord for salvation one day in the past. If only they would realize that ‘day’ should have been the beginning of a whole new lifestyle of cooperation with not only God (who gives the increase) but other believers as well.

Jesus invites us to yoke ourselves together with Him. He says “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NKJV)

For those who have tasted, they know the fruits of salvation are very good. The sweetness of a healed relationship. The inner freedom that comes from forgiving someone from your heart. The peace of mind that comes from knowing that God is with you in the hard times. It’s all so sweet, but, those who have experienced it know getting there was sometimes very hard. It was a labor of love. It was something you didn’t do all on your own, and the best thing you did was joining yourself to Jesus.