Growth is God's Work

Many of you reading this will experience great frustrations as you work and work and work, teaching as best you're able, and still do not see much maturing or growth in your students. This is as true if you're teaching little children as it is for teaching adults, not-yet-believers or aged saints.

"When will they grow?!"

"When will they learn?!"

"How long do I have to keep teaching them without any evidence they're growing?!"

The answer to your dilemma is to remember your place in the order of things.

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. (1 Cor 3:5-7)

Did you catch that -- it is God who causes the growth. Not you. By God's grace you, dear Bible teacher, are called to plant seeds and water!

Whatever your frustrations and impatience, pour them into prayer. It may help to remember what J. Vernon McGhee said years ago: "It's God universe and he runs it the way he wants to. You might have a better idea of how to do things...but you don't have a universe."

All these things can be frustrations and disappointments, even hurts. But when we hold on to the key fact that God causes the growth, it's easier for us to persevere in doing our parts faithfully.

Keep on teaching to change lives!