There are all kinds of partnerships in life. There are marriage partners, dancing partners, tennis partners, and business partners. However, the greatest of all partnerships is the privilege of being a partner with God and his great work. The apostle Paul speaks of this when he says, “We are labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).
To every one of us has been given the matchless privilege of working with God in his great work of redemption. There are several things about this partnership that we need to keep in mind.
1. It is a working partnership. We are “laborers” with him. To every one of us is assigned a specific task. Theologian Andrew Fuller once said, “The scriptures give four names to Christians—saints, for their holiness; believers, for their faith; brethren, for their love; disciples, for their knowledge.” But he omitted one vital thought. They are called servants for their labor. We are to praise God not only in worship but also in work.
Laziness is no virtue. It begins as cobwebs and ends up as chains to bind people. God wants his people to be workers. He created Adam and placed him in the beautiful Garden of Eden. But God expected Adam to till the ground. God saved Noah from the flood in an ark, but Noah had to build it. God gave Israel the land of Canaan, but they had to fight for every inch of ground. And our salvation is free, but God expects us to work as a result of it.
2. It is a cooperative partnership. We are laborers “together.” The great work of God cannot be done by one person or one group alone. We must work together to accomplish all that God wants us to do. This has been the pattern throughout the ages. Moses had Aaron. David had Jonathan. Paul had Silas. And we need one another in the great work of God. In the spirit of unity and love, all of God’s people must work together to get the job done.
3. It is dependent partnership. Without God, there would be no results from our human efforts. Jesus said as much, and the apostle Paul himself is an example of this. The name Paul means “little.” What was Paul’s power? It was his almighty weakness. In his weakness he depended upon God and thus became very strong.
God’s mighty work is to redeem the world. To every one of us is given the privilege of cooperating with him in that great ministry. We need to join hands and hearts with God and all other Christians to win our world to him.