Whee!

Thinking of... "Free to Dance"

1 Corinthians 3:1-11

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. 3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? 4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men?
5 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. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Bringing to mind...

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Let God Do His Work
Read: 1 Corinthians 3:1-11

Neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. —1 Corinthians 3:7

Bible In One Year: Philemon
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In our zeal to serve the Lord, it's easy to think that it's our responsibility to produce results. This causes us to place too much faith in our ability and too little faith in God's.

Paul observed this same tendency in the Corinthian church. Certain believers extolled the seed-planting ministry of Paul, while others favored the seed-watering ministry of Apollos. In 1 Corinthians 3, Paul reminded them that it is God who brings the seed to fruition (vv.4-7). Yet Paul acknowledged that their faithful efforts were part of God's plan, "and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor" (v.8).

Imagine a farmer sitting on his front porch. You ask him what he's doing. He answers, "Farming." You ask him what he's growing. He replies, "Wheat." "But your fields look unplowed and unplanted," you say. "That's right," he answers, "I'm farming by faith. Believing God for a harvest." "But shouldn't you be doing something?" you protest. He replies, "I am. I'm praying and believing!"

This story reminds us that God won't do our work for us, and 1 Corinthians teaches us that the results are not up to us. The best way to serve is to faithfully plant and water the seed, then trust God for the results. —Joanie Yoder

God does not expect us
To make the seed bear fruit;
Jesus said to plant it,
And pray that it will root. —Pendergraft

We can plant the seed, but only God can give the harvest.

(From Our Daily Bread)

CG Service today. Wonderful! 5.30 to 7.30 pm, together with my sis. We sang "Free to Dance", "Let Everything that has breath Praise the Lord", "Emmanuel", and "Worthy is the Lamb". And then the Covenant Players presented 3 short, succinct and meaningful plays. Not much props, and no magnificent backdrop. They said to use our God-given imaginations, that way if it doesn't look nice it won't be their fault.

First play was about 2 women in a busy post office. They are chatting about everyday things. Then in comes a person who's just won the lottery ("I feel so happy!"), the "happiest person in the world!" guy whose girlfriend said yes to his proposal, and somebody who's just won the Miss Universe Pageant.
They talk about how happy everybody is. Then comes along their lady supervisor, who goes up to them and says "Wow! Your scarf goes really well with your shirt. You have good taste. And you, what a colourful scarf! Hey, join us for lunch at the cafeteria, won't you?"
And one woman comments to the other "Isn't she happy?". The other one says "Oh, she's a fanatic. She's always this happy. She's a Christian!"
[curtain!]

Second one was about these two sisters. Funny quarrel, but they made up. Then Jenny tells Jane about the gift she got for their mum, some precious gift she's been looking for a long time, and sure to make their mum happy. When their oldest brother arrives with Mum, it turns out he has also got her the same present. Mum is so happy, she rushes off, and the brother looks shocked, saying he chanced upon it. Then Jenny isn't happy. But she reflects that this isn't what giving is all about. Giving to make another person happy, or giving so that the person will thank you in return, no, it's just EGO. And their brother, he just wanted to make their Mother pleased. Pleased! So she feels bad. In the end the mother hears it, confession, repentance and all. And they are happy.
[curtain!]

Third one was longer. It was about this lady DJ, hosting Nostalgia Beat. In another part of the country, Kim sits in a room with peeling wallpaper, furniture that's falling apart, and a brick holding up her chair, and she's sitting next to the radio listening. Kim calls in to the DJ, and what started out as the DJ listening to Kim's problems at 3 in the morning turns out to be a Christian witnessing to Kim, and stopping Kim about to kill herself.

And then we sang "Emmanuel" again.

Just want to thank God for letting me go through these few weeks of trials. I've learnt a whole new lesson. And I felt this inexpressible joy after I realised the truth. And I love my sister!
Well, I'm not that good at telling stories or plays... the above plays seem very bland. But I'm feeling happy and rushy. Like the "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" kind. :):):)

Free To Dance
(Darlene Zschech, Hillsongs 1999)

This song in my heart
This song in my soul
This song I was born to sing
It's Your song of freedom
Now I'm free to dance again
I'll sing in the darkness
I'll laugh in the rain
Rejoice in Your love again
It's your song of freedom
Now I'm free to dance again

Your spirit brings me liberty
Your breath of life has set me free
Jesus Your love it lifts me high
Give me reason to run this race with joy
This song within me Lord
Will bless Your holy name
Jesus I'll dance before Your throne
Bring this heavenly sound to You alone
This song within me Lord
Will bless Your holy name