Partnership with God

Principle to Tap Into ⇨ STEWARD + TRUST

There’s something important to understand before we go any further…

Because everything we’re about to talk about—seasons, growth, harvest…

can be approached in a few different ways.

You can look at life and think:

“It’s all up to me.”

or

“It’s all out of my control.”

But Scripture gives us a different picture:

it’s both responsibility and dependence

From the very beginning, this was God’s design:

“Be fruitful and multiply…” —Genesis 1:28

We were created to be fruitful
to steward what we’ve been given

to participate in what God is doing

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But here’s where it gets really important…

we are not the source of the growth

Paul says it clearly:

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” —1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)

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We plant
We water
We show up

But:

God gives the growth

And Jesus takes it even deeper:

“I am the vine; you are the branches… apart from me you can do nothing.” —John 15:5 (NIV)

Fruit is not something we manufacture
it’s something that is produced through connection

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What This Means

This is what partnership with God looks like:

We take responsibility for the assignment He’s given
We trust God with the rest

As St. Augustine said, “Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not”

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Our Role

Plant intentionally
Show up consistently
Steward what we’ve been given
Stay connected to God

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God’s Role

Bring the growth
Produce the fruit
Work beneath the surface
Do what we cannot do

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Where We Get Off Track

We tend to drift to one side or the other:

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Over-responsibility

“It all depends on me”

leads to striving, pressure, burnout

(aka… the grind)

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Under-responsibility

“God will take care of it”

leads to passivity, inaction

(aka… “if it’s meant to be, it will be”)

But wisdom lives here:

faithful stewardship + surrendered trust

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A Simple Way to Think About It

Take control over what you have control over (aka your actions, words, and attitudes)
Trust God with the rest

Or even simpler:

Steward the seed
Trust God for the harvest

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Why This Matters

Because when you understand this…

you stop trying to control everything
you stop sitting back and doing nothing

And instead:

you begin to walk with God in the process

Which means:

when it’s time to plant—you plant
when it’s time to work—you work
when it’s time to wait—you trust

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Bringing It Into the Seasons

This is the lens for everything we’re about to walk through:

Spring → we plant with God
Summer → we persevere with God
Fall → we harvest and reflect with God
Winter → we are formed by God

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Final Thought

Steward what’s yours. Trust God with what’s His.

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Question:

Where do you tend to drift—trying to control everything…

or stepping back too much?