God Does the Growing

"It's not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What's important is that God makes the seed grow." - 1 Corinthians 3:7 (NLT)

We can easily be let down when we tell a family member, friend, coworker or stranger about Jesus Christ, but they simply do not want to hear it; or they listen, but they do not care about a word we are saying. We become discouraged because we feel it is our responsibility to change their heart and thoughts about Christ. Let me tell you something, we cannot force someone to change their heart, no matter how hard we may try. 

Sometimes, our job is to simply share the good news of Jesus to someone.  By doing so, we plant a seed in their heart. The seed may grow fairly quickly or it may take longer, but all we did was plant a seed. Other times, our job is to talk to someone that already has a seed planted, someone that is thirsty for knowledge and has a desire to learn more. However, planting a seed and providing water alone do not cause the seed to sprout into a beautiful plant. A plant also requires sunlight and nutrients from the soil to grow. Likewise, God is the One responsible for growing a person spiritually. So while we can pray for our family, friends, coworkers, and strangers to have a longing heart for God, He is the only One who can change a person's heart to strive and live for Him.