From Squirting to Soaking

 

”Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” –Col 3:23-24 (NAS)

 

Although they’re valid and valuable (see yesterday), not every act of service should be “small.” The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once wrote about a town where a fireman lived. Everyone liked the fireman because he was a nice guy who made it a habit to be gentle and kind, which was unusual for the rugged firemen of the day.

There was a fire one day, and the fireman charged to the scene with his fellow firemen and heavy equipment. As they came toward the fire, much to their surprise, they encountered between themselves and the flames about 200 townspeople. Each was aiming a water pistol at the raging fire, going “squirt, squirt, squirt.”

 

The fireman asked, “What’s going on here?” A spokesman for the group piped up,“Well, we all appreciate the wonderful work you’re doing in our community, and each of us has come to contribute in some small way to your work.” Squirt, squirt, squirt…they continued.

 

The  fireman  said,  “I  don’t  get  it.  You’re  all  crazy!”  The spokesman shot back,“Oh, we realize that we all could do more, but we just wanted to offer a token of our support.” Everyone nodded. Squirt, squirt, squirt.  “You don’t know what you’re doing!” shouted the fireman. “True, but you have to appreciate the fact that everyone is willing to offer whatever help they can,” said the spokesman. Everyone said, “Amen!” and continued squirting. At that, the fireman told them all to get lost: “This is no picnic, this is a fire. And a fire doesn’t require well-meaning people who come to make small contributions. A fire is a place where people come to give their lives!”

 

Ministry is serious business! It’s so much so that the Lord wants us to put all of ourselves into whatever work we do. We should view each task as a labor of love for God rather than for people. That will radically affect the motive and quality of our work, because only He can give the heavenly reward that lasts forever (e.g., Matt 16:27; John 12:26; 1 Cor 3:7-15; Rev 22:12)!

 

For Discussion: Are you ever like the townspeople? Is there something you’ve been “squirting at” that you know you should be “dousing?”

 

Family Activity: Try to water flowers or clean dishes with squirt guns or spray bottles. Then do it with the hose or faucet. Discuss how this is like two ways to minister and how and why we should do the latter.