When You Can't See the Fruit

I like to see results. More specifically, I like to see the direct outputs of my specific inputs. I like to do things like mowing and vacuuming. It’s nice to see how something was before you worked on it and how it is after. It’s nice to feel a sense of accomplishment. But life isn’t always like that. Ministry isn’t always like that. You can work hard for years, thinking you are doing something, but not so sure of what results you are actually getting. In business, if at some point you’re not “seeing” results in the form of customers and revenue, then at some point your business will fail. But ministry isn’t business. And what you think is a “failed” ministry might be a great success in the eyes of God.

The other day we heard from some missionaries who serve in the Middle East. They talked about people being on a kind of spectrum. Some are closer in their journey to God and some are further away. In our interactions with people, we ought to do our best to nudge them a little further in the right direction. For those of us who have grown up around altar calls and the visual of people getting out of their seats to make a decision for Christ, the concept of presenting the Gospel without seeing some immediate response might be a bit difficult. We love the radical conversion stories. But if we’re honest, we know that some conversions happen after years of crying and praying and hoping and hurting. We might understand this intellectually, but still, who doesn’t want to see immediate fruit? And yet, no tree grows overnight. Who knows what great fruit will come in the generations to follow simply because you obeyed and planted seeds in the field to which you were called?

I think maybe C. S. Lewis has a similar concept in mind when he writes, “All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations.” The Corinthians of Paul’s day wanted to associate themselves with this teacher or that, but Paul tells them not to concern themselves with such things. Those things are fleshly and bound up in jealousy and strife (1 Cor. 3:3). Paul continues, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor” (1 Cor. 3:6–8).
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Some preachers, teachers, evangelists, writers, and others may think they are a bit more special than they really are. If you puff yourself up you will just be contributing to the fleshly jealousy and strife Paul was talking about. We are laborers in God’s vineyard and the results are up to Him. Don’t think too highly of yourself if you seem to be getting a lot of good results. And don’t think too lowly of yourself if things seem to be moving slow. Do what God has called you to do and leave the results to Him. Be encouraged today.