Don't be Discouraged

*Don't be Discouraged*

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." 1 Corinthians
3:6

How many times have you started to do something but were not able to finish
for one reason or another? That scenario tends to happens within the
spiritual realm as well. Sometimes we think that God wants us to begin and
complete some great task for Him, but often we are just links in His chain
of events. We don't always see the fruitfulness of our work for Him, or
perhaps we're given the joy of harvesting the crop that others have planted.

In his book, *The Patented Preacher*, about preaching and worship, Warren
Wiersbe wrote, "I learned very early in my ministry that I was not an
evangelist. Although I've seen people come to Christ through my ministry,
I've always felt I was a failure when it came to evangelism. One of the few
benefits of growing older is a better perspective. Now I'm learning that my
teaching and writing ministries have enabled others to lead people to
Christ, so my labors have not been in vain. But I've had my hours of
discouragement and the feeling of failure." Have you ever felt like that?
Discouraged and a failure because the fruit of your labours is not evident
or because you haven't been able to see the culmination of the work you
started or because someone else took over the job from you and got to
experience the conclusion of the matter. If so, pray and ask God to help
you see things from a new and different perspective - His perspective.

God has promised to complete His work *in* us (Phlp. 1:6), but His work *
through* us is a different matter. Sometimes we plant, sometimes we water,
and sometimes we harvest. We're seldom able to do all three, but we labour
in the confidence that God will give the increase. Let's seek to better
understand our place in God's work - "Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos,
but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? So
then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but
God that giveth the increase. For we are labourers together with God" (1
Cor. 3:5,7,8). The labours work in vain if God isn't giving the increase,
so let's do our part, however small that may seem and wherever that happens
to be in God's process, with the best of our ability, and pray that God
would bless and increase our labours with fruit to His honour and glory.

*God gives us the spiritual gifts He wants us to have; He puts us in the
places He wants us to serve; and He gives the blessings He wants us to
enjoy. (Warren Wiersbe)*