Brigham Young University (BYU) is operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often mistakenly called the “Mormon Church.” As part of their undergraduate coursework, BYU students take multiple semesters of spiritually uplifting, stimulating religion classes.
Here, in this column, students enrolled in scripture study classes have shared their thoughts, insights, and reflections on the New Testament and gospel of Jesus Christ in the form of letters to someone they know. In publishing these, we fulfill their desire to witness to all of us of the relevance, power, and beauty of the New Testament, and God’s plan of happiness for each of us. We invite you to take a look at their epiphanies and discoveries as they delve into the scriptures. Let us know how these may help you in your own life. Share them with a friend.
Mormon Thoughts: God Gave the Increase
Letter to my brother
Dear Brother,
I wanted to share with you some thoughts I had regarding a passage of scripture that we studied this past week in my New Testament class. We are going more in chronological order, which is different than straight through the New Testament, so I’m not sure if you’ve gotten to this section in your seminary class. The scripture is found in 1 Corinthians 3:6. Paul is referring to their missionary labors, but the last phrase applies to all of us no matter what our stage in life may be. It reads, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” There are a lot of gardening analogies that are used in the gospel, and they teach us a lot about life. There are many things we have influence over, and there is always more we can do to bless our own lives and the lives of others. Ultimately the lasting fruits of those efforts are only made possible by trusting in the Lord. While expending every capacity we have, we must submit to the real source of success and progression. There is an incredible power that we have access to, but it’s up to us to call upon that power. Also, as we see success and receive blessings in our lives, we must learn to recognize and give credit to the real source of that success. This practice increases our personal power to then succeed even more. The Savior is obviously the perfect example of this, as He is in everything. I know that if we follow Him with all our hearts, then we’ll realize that “God gave the increase.”
If this strikes a chord with any who read this letter, I would welcome your questions or comments.
Additional Resources: