How can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
Romans 10:14 NLT
The Victorious Living ministry team was all set for our fundraising dinner. We had planned for our annual event for months, being sure to take care of the smallest detail. You can believe, I breathed a heavy sigh of relief when I finally completed all the items on my to-do list…a whole five minutes before the event started!
That sense of relief vanished quickly when Joanna, the volunteer in charge of the beverage table, approached me to ask where the cups were. Turns out, we didn’t have any.
My stomach churned as I surveyed the line of guests waiting for their beverages. Twelve gallons of freshly brewed iced tea were arranged neatly on the counter next to a cooler full of ice. But the tea and ice were useless without cups.
I searched for the caterer, only to find that he had driven back to town to retrieve the forgotten items and wouldn’t be back for at least 30 minutes. My concern increased. We were already past our scheduled starting time, and the volunteers were now serving food. Cups or no cups, I had to begin the program.
About ten minutes into my welcoming remarks, I saw the caterer hurrying across the room, cups in hand. The beverage crisis was over; no one would have to choke down their food at this event.
The following day, I thanked God for His provision. Despite that stumble, we’d had an incredibly successful event, and we’d gained many ministry partners. As I prayed, I remembered the line of thirsty guests—people standing, empty-handed, on one side of the table and all those jugs of tea on the other side.
I thought of the irony of the situation. We had a generous supply of tea (sweet, of course) for our guests. We even had a sink faucet containing an endless supply of water. But still, our guests remained thirsty. They couldn’t get a single drop of liquid refreshment because we didn’t have any cups. Until that night, I had never considered the importance of a simple vessel. I sensed a spiritual analogy emerging. And then it came.
A long line of tired and weary people formed in my mind’s eye. They were thirsty and in desperate need of refreshment. Many of them were on the verge of collapsing and giving up on life altogether.
And then I saw a sparkling, steady source of water. It was Jesus. And He was in infinite supply, available to the whosoevers of the world (John 3:15). The Living Water was ready to quench every thirst and refresh weary souls (John 4:13–15; 7:27–39).
Jesus was who these people needed to live a life of purpose here on earth (John 10:10). He was also their security for eternal life in heaven (John 3:16). Jesus offered the answers to their questions, hope for people’s future, peace of mind, unconditional love, and endless joy. He offered acceptance, forgiveness, and salvation.
But the people in the line were walking away empty-handed. Just like at my event, there were no vessels available to serve them the thirst-quenching Living Water.
It suddenly became clear that just like I’d needed cups to serve beverages to my guests, God needs “cups” too. He needs vessels to take His message of salvation, to be His arms of love, to demonstrate His life-transforming power to the world. You and I are those vessels.
Scores of weary people are desperate for Jesus, and they are coming to the table. They are thirsty for something other than what this world offers. They need the Living Water of God, and they need it now, before they lose hope.
You and I, as believers, have the privilege and the responsibility to serve God’s Living Water to the world. If we don’t, how will they ever get it? How will they even know about it? According to Romans 10:14, without us as willing, living vessels, they can’t. And they won’t.
Let’s ask God to open our eyes to the thirsty ones. We encounter them daily. Let’s ask Him for courage, too, to serve those people, with love, the Living Water of God through our words and actions. We have what this world needs; He lives in us. We must not keep Him to ourselves.
KRISTI OVERTON JOHNSON encourages and equips people for victory through her writings, speaking engagements, and prison ministry. To learn more, go to kojministries.org.
How can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
Romans 10:14 NLT
