Jesus said: And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward (Matthew 10:42 NIV).
I recently had the privilege to share lunch with a group of men and women who have been leading the way for disaster relief for The Wesleyan Church. They have rightly called their organization Poured-Out.
Two Wesleyan pastors and their colleagues who make up Poured-Out have invested countless hours and all the comforts of home in Michigan to love others who lost everything after storms visited New York City and Oklahoma this year. The team also serves regularly in Haiti, making it their mission to provide clean water to families in need. They are my kind of people. They don’t just talk about helping out, they get into the rubble as the hands and feet of Jesus to many whose whole lives are encased in twisted scraps. These angels offer hope when all that was normal disintegrates within hours, sometimes minutes.
As it turns out, our waitress listened intently to stories of home and life transformations while attending to our needs. Her attentiveness was directed more than at soup and sandwiches as she looked for a way to serve those who serve.
Near the end of our meal, she announced to our table that she was buying our lunch. She explained how she had served in Africa in previous years and desperately wanted to return to serve Jesus there again. But her current circumstances wouldn’t allow that. She said her way of serving the Lord that day was to buy lunch for those who were serving him through tangible ministry to others. As one who delights in buying others a meal, I’d never had a server in a restaurant purchase lunch for everyone around the table. It was incredibly heart-warming. Her love for us because of the cause of Jesus mirrored her Savior’s generous incarnation.
What a great blessing to all who ate lunch that day. I imagine her witness had a big impact on her manager and co-workers. I pray this story inspires you today as you reflect on what our server did. She poured herself out and sacrificed for the Lord right where she was–waiting tables in a restaurant during an arbitrary weekday lunch hour.
What can you pour out for the Lord today? You have something you can bless others with. Is it time, encouragement, finances, friendship, prayer, or even a cup of cold water? Keep your eyes and ears open. Pour out your life as if you were serving the Lord himself. Do whatever it is God inspires you to do. And do it even if no one else writes an article about it.
Jim Dunn is executive director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship for The Wesleyan Church.
Poured-Out assisted in completely demolishing 63 homes in Oklahoma that were beyond repair because of the May tornadoes.
