2 TIMOTHY 2:1-6; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:58
Chinese proverbs are popular and frequently have origins in stories. An impatient man in the Song Dynasty is the subject of the saying, “pulling up a crop to help it grow.” He was anxious to watch his rice seedlings develop swiftly. He therefore came up with a solution. He would pull each plant a bit. The man looked over his paddy field after a long day of laborious work. The fact that his crop appeared to have “grown” taller made him happy. His elation, though, was brief. Because their roots were shallow, the plants started to wilt the following day.
The apostle Paul likens the task of a gospel minister to that of a farmer in 2 Timothy 2:6. He wrote to Timothy to reassure him that, like farming, producing disciples can be tedious, ongoing work. You sow, you wait, you pray, and you plow. You want to see the results of your labour now, but development takes time. And any attempt to speed up the process may prove ineffective, as the Chinese proverb so clearly indicates.
We work diligently and wait patiently on the Lord, who causes things to grow (1 Corinthians 3:7).
🙏🏻We sow the seed—God produces the harvest. Thank You Jesus!
