VBS is coming!

Vacation Bible School is next week! I am pretty excited about it, as I had tons of fun last year. Josh and I are Mr. & Mrs. Cash, who basically dress up goofy and try to get the kids pepped up and excited. This year our characters are going to have a little more depth, as Mrs. Cash is now a true born again Christian! We want to have a good time, but we want the kids to understand the importance of salvation and living for Christ. So think of us as trying to show kids how to have good fun and still be a Christian. (Since the world will tell children these days that being a Christian is borrringgg.) & Pray for us!
I have a pretty heavy heart for VBS this year, I wont lie. The appeal of VBS is to give kids something fun to do in a safe and clean environment. However, the real purpose is to get the Gospel message out to them and to possibly even lead some kids to Christ. As with any work we do in God's ministry, this is a heavy calling. & It is one I am learning I shouldn't take lightly. This next week I plan to stay in the Word and really keep my focus on God, as I know I am extremely vulnerable for getting discouraged and having a bad attitude about the event. (Already happened once!)
My Bible study today came from 1 Corinthians 3:6-8. "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. " (KJV)
When Paul wrote this to the church of Corinth, there were a lot of divisions going on. Some people preferred how Apollos did things and others preferred Paul. Everyone was putting their focus on the men in the ministry and how well/how bad they do things, rather than keeping their eyes on God. These verses state very clearly that Paul and Apollos, while being servants for the Lord and doing work for Him, are ultimately not the ones who bring the results. God is. "God gave the increase." It also goes on to say that all those that work in the ministry are one; as we all have one goal, one purpose, one reason for working for God. (This being to see souls saved! --- & If that isn't your goal, you need to check your heart out!) God uses each person that serves Him and He brings the result. No person is more significant or more important than the other because of their job.
Comparing and contrasting how Paul and Apollos did things was wrong. & Sadly, it still happens in our churches today. We prefer this style of preaching over this one, we think this guy would do better in this position than another, we think this lady stinks at singing and needs to stop, we think we ourselves are boring because we don't have a "cool job" like pastoring or teaching. Ouch. It's all become about us and how we think we should do things. Isn't a show of weak faith if we're dictating to God how things should be run in His church? As Paul said, the two that planteth and watereth (two different jobs) are one. One God, one goal, one purpose. I think it's important to get my eyes off of man and focus on what God is doing. He's got a plan with the people He is using and He is going to bring the increase.

Happy Monday all. :)