For years, Greg Mann worked hard to share the good news of Jesus with people in the remote rainforest region of Guyana. He had overseen the building of several churches in areas accessible only by canoe. But Greg began to sense that his churches were stagnant.

Then he started encountering health problems that seriously curtailed his ability to work. So he prayed. And the churches grew. That’s when Greg realized an important aspect of serving the Lord. It wasn’t his work; it was God’s. Greg’s dedication to serving God was admirable, but the Guyanese didn’t need Greg. They needed Jesus. God would continue His work—with or without Greg Mann.

As we look at the heroes of the Bible, we see some astoundingly human flaws in them. Moses actually asked God, “What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?” as if God were abandoning both him and the nation (Numbers 11:11). Sulking, he told God, “Just go ahead and kill me” (v.15). God, however, had much more for Moses to do. The Bible tells us that Moses had been sent by God to be a ruler and a deliverer for Israel (Acts 7:35). But it also reveals that Israel’s exodus from Egypt wasn’t on Moses’ shoulders—it was on God’s.

No one accomplishes anything of value without Him. The apostle Paul understood this when he took to task the church at Corinth for putting faith in human leaders. He humbly rightsized the roles of God’s servants, including his own, when he said, “It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7).

It’s vital for us to assume the roles God has for us. But let’s not lose sight of the fact that Jesus must be the foundation for anything we do (v.11).