So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything; but only God who gives the growth.

1 Corinthians 3:7

When investing in someone’s life, frustration can arise when there is no growth. The time and energy invested do not seem to produce fruit. In these cases, it’s easy to give up and believe that the work you are doing is meaningless and fruitless. This discouragement can lead many to give up the work they felt called to. 

Throughout church history, there are examples of missionaries serving Christ faithfully and seeing no growth. They created a life for themselves in countries far from their home. However, they faithfully served God and the people of that country but never saw change for years. Beyond that, some even lost their family while being faithful to Christ and living out the Great Commission.  

One such missionary was Adoniram Judson, a missionary to Burma. He worked in Burma for six years before anyone came to Christ. During that time, he suffered the death of his son and severe medical issues, causing it to be painful to read, write, or even hear things read to him by his wife, Anne. After ten years, his tiny church had only 18 members. 

However, because of the foundation he laid, over 8,000 people came to Christ in the years following his death. Burma, now Myanmar, now has a thriving church that is directly descended from Adoniram’s work. 

It is not up to the one who plants the seed, like Adoniram, or those who water, like the pastors who followed him, who cause growth. Instead, our responsibility is to be faithful to the commands of Christ, to go into the world, preach the Gospel, and leave the growth to God. We may never see the fruits of our labor, but we can trust the promises of God that his truth will not return void and that his people will come to know His salvation. 

This week, do not be discouraged by your labors for Christ. Instead, trust God will use your faithful work to bring about his kingdom.