Recently I stood waiting as passengers boarded an airplane. One gentleman turned to me as he walked by and quietly remarked, did you know that God loves you today? I replied, Amen brother, then listened as he made the same comment to the flight attendant. The man planted seeds in his winsome way on a 7 am flight to Houston.

The gospel was planted in my life at a small church in the Ozarks. Members of the Campus Crusade for Christ chapter watered the seed at the University of Missouri. My fledging faith grew over the years through the writings of authors like CS Lewis and Timothy Keller.

We all embrace faith and grow through a variety of influences. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about this process: I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.

It encourages me to keep in mind that no matter who plants or waters, God causes the growth. I need not experience any pressure in spiritual conversations. I can talk about my faith and encourage others to turn to faith, knowing that God controls the outcome.

Years ago in Campus Crusade I heard Bill Bright teach that success in evangelism involves sharing the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. In other words, freely scatter seed and generously splash water. God causes the seed to germinate and grow wherever he wishes. True faith is not up to us. It involves divine intervention—it’s supernatural.

Amazingly, God cracks open seeds every day. People turn to the Lord in faith and begin a life of following him. Don’t be afraid to speak up and pour lessons from your faith journey into the mix.

1 Corinthians 3 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Markus Spiske