Germinating Faith

Growing up on a farm, I was familiar with all the work we did to get ready for spring. We would purchase seed and fertilizer, check the planting equipment, and prepare the soil for planting. Yet for all the work we did, we could not force the seeds to germinate and grow according to our timeline. It’s the same when we sow the seeds of the gospel of Jesus.

Through church services, ministries, and one-to-one relationships, we can tell others about Jesus, but we cannot force the germination and growth of faith in each person. We may think others are more gifted in spreading the gospel, but the real heart transformation is in the hands of God. Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: 

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth (NASB).”

Each one of us owes our transformation to faith in Jesus Christ to the love and grace of God. We may have had people in our life who influenced our decision to follow Christ, but it was God who germinated the heart change and caused the growth. It is God who is worthy of all praise and worship, not the people who brought us to faith in Jesus. 

© 2025, Chris G Thelen

For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. – 1 Corinthians 3:9, NASB