A Job for Someone Else

There is a story told from the Middle East of four brothers who decided to have a feast. Because wine was rather expensive, they concluded that each one should bring an equal quantity and add it to the common supply. However, one of the brothers, thinking to escape the expense of such a contribution decided to bring water instead of wine. "It won't be noticed," he reasoned. But at the feast when the wine was poured out it wasn't wine at all. It was only water. Each of the four brothers had thought alike, "Let the others do it. Water is less expensive." This kind of aversion is not a 21st Century problem or just a North American disease. It runs in every culture as well as every social and religious circle. It without question has become pandemic in today’s church world. Anywhere you go you'll find that everybody wants something for nothing. They love a servant but nobody wants to be one. The common conclusion expressed is “That looks like a job for someone else.” To invest in the financial world is risky business. A person can put their money in stocks for years only to have it all taken away by a dishonest broker or a crash in the financial market. Your bank can go under and your business partner can split leaving you holding the bag. But in the spiritual world there is complete security. Servant hood is something that does not happen without notice. That’s why Jesus said “anyone who gives as much as a glass of cold water in my name will not lose his reward.” The point being made here is that it pays to be a servant. That being said, the question all of us should ask is “Are we bringing water or wine to the party?” If you take this question seriously then truth will drive you to realize that being a servant never looks like a job for someone else.