I was reading in the One Year Bible today and this passage
spoke to me -
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s
servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the
Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but
it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who
does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one
who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both
will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And
you are God’s field. You are God’s building.
I was just thinking about our ministry to children and how
we are truly “waterers” for the kingdom.
This summer I went on a missions trip to Orlando,
Florida. I was in charge of meals for 300 people who were doing the
actual work. It was hot – really hot. We were at a camp that has no
running water and no kitchen. My team cooked on grills and propane
burners. We had to have our water brought in in tanks. The first
day they did not have the tanks ready, so we had to take twenty 10 gallon water
coolers and fill them from an outdoor spigot way on the other side of the camp
(too far to walk). The next day the water tank was delivered and we were
so excited to have water close by. We fixed our water coolers, made sweet
tea and lemonade with the water and began cooking with it. As I made 10
batches of stir fry over the propane burner someone brought be a cool cup of
water. I couldn’t wait to drink it! I was so hot and sweaty and the
cup was so cool to the touch. I chugged it all in one gulp. As it
hit my tummy I thought I would gag. The water tasted HORRIBLE!!!
They had brought us bleach water by mistake!!!! Bleach water is used to
sanitize the cooking pots and utensils. We had made all our drinks with
that horrible water and everyone was upset.
I realized that day – more than ever- how VITAL water
is!!! I knew it in my head, but that day it became more real to me.
I had experienced thirst before, but never like that day. I had
experienced disappointment before, but that disappointment was on a whole new
level. Oh, to have cool, fresh, clean, drinkable water! I’ll never
look at water the same way again.
Many who come to our church are desperate for the Living
Water. What a privilege it is to be a part of the team that provides the
means for someone to experience a quenching of their spiritual thirst!
Please, please, don’t ever think what you do as a part of children’s ministry
is somehow not as important as what any other team does on Sunday
morning. It is vital that parents feel comfortable leaving their precious
little ones with us. When they are comfortable, it lessens the
distraction to hearing the message – that life-giving message! Every time
someone lifts their hand and declares that they have gone from death to life –
YOU are a part of that. Every time you hug a little one, or share a
verse, or even a cup of cold water – you are planting seeds in little
children’s minds that God loves them and cares for them.
Thank you so much for being a part of this team! Thank
you for being “waterers” alongside me. J
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