This week Rose Song provided our devotional post. Take a moment and check her out on the contributor’s page!

Being in Korea the past four years, our trip to the grocery store was just another outing. My youngest five year old was conversing with me in English when a lady and her baby suddenly stopped in front of us. She smiled and approached us introducing herself as Koh* (name changed) and told me she was from Texas* in need of a good “American” friend in Korea. We connected immediately.

Long story short, we invited Koh over to our home many times (pre-covid) after that initial meeting, and eventually Koh accepted Christ as her personal Savior! 1:1 weekly discipleship with Koh began immediately as she grew in the Lord. 

She initially attended our weekly church services and intently absorbed every new Bible truth. However, after a solid year of learning and growing, she suddenly began to struggle with church attendance. 
Koh also had a very rocky marriage to her unsaved husband, and it affected her walk with the Lord. She began to not only miss Sundays, but our 1:1 weekly discipleship began to falter as well. After six months of struggle, Koh stopped coming to church altogether, and sadly I didn’t hear from her for another year. Discouragement set in pretty quickly. 

“Winning a soul to the Lord was a miracle in itself- let alone investing a whole year of 1:1 discipleship! My hard work of outreach and discipleship have all vanished into thin air,” I repeatedly scolded myself. I cried. Hard. 

Nonetheless, God’s gentle grace took my focus back to Psalm 20:7 day-by-day. The verse tells us that the Lord is to be trusted far above our earthly gain. Yet, I had begun to trust in my own efforts of “chariots and horses” rather than in the name of the Lord.

It is often way easier to translate all ministry halts and victories to only our rendered efforts or talents. I was so disappointed that my year-long 1:1 discipleship with Koh didn’t bear fruit — or so I thought. 

I soon began to realize again that the thread of God’s sovereignty was indeed woven in this particular tapestry of ministry. God had the final say. As recorded in I Corinthians 15:58, I was to just remain steadfast in what He had asked me to do; He was the One that would water our efforts. 
I began to faithfully pray over Koh every day again.

Fast forward three years, Koh is today one of our most faithful church members with bringing in new visitors often. Her husband, being a staunch atheist four years ago, now attends our church services once a month due to Koh’s witnessing. She also regularly serves as an “encourager” to our church ladies.

John 15:5 beautifully illustrates it this way: “I am the vine, ye are the branches, He that abideth in Me and I in Him, the same bringeth forth much fruit. For without Me, ye can do nothing.”