The Parable of the Pump
Giving is a risk you can't afford not to take.
By Jim Carpenter (DJ, Issue #35 September/October 1986)
ONCE THERE was a man lost in the desert, near death from thirst. He wandered aimlessly through the burning sand for many days, growing weaker by the moment. At long last he saw an oasis far in the distance. Palm trees indicated a source of water!
He stumbled forward feverishly and fell beneath the shade of the trees. Finally he might slake his tortured thirst. But then he noticed something strange about this particular oasis.
Instead of a pool of water, or a well, or a spring bubbling up from the ground, the man found a pump. And beside the pump were two objects—a small jar of water, and a parchment note.
The note explained that a leather gasket within the pump must be saturated with water for the pump to work. Within the jar was just enough water for this purpose.
The note also warned the reader not to drink from the jar. Every drop must be poured into an opening at the base of the pump to soak the heat-dried gasket. Then, as the leather softened and expanded, an unlimited supply of sweet water would be available. The parchment's final instructions were to refill the container for the next traveler's use.
The man faced a dilemma. He was dying of thirst, and he had found water. Not much, of course. Maybe not even enough to save his life. But it seemed the height of folly to pour it away, down the base of the pump. On the other hand, if the note was accurate, by pouring out the small quantity of water, he would then have all he wanted. What should he do?
That parable illustrates a number of truths about giving. Its principles apply to, but reach far beyond, giving money. They apply to our time, our hearts, and to every aspect of our lives.
GIVING: ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE
First, giving is a discipline that must run through every part of our walk with God. Like water to the man in the desert, giving is the most important issue of our lives. Without it, spiritual life cannot exist.
Consider salvation. We become Christians by giving— giving up our confidence in any other route to God. "No one comes to the Father except through me" (Jn. 14:6), Jesus said. When we are converted, we talk of giving our hearts to Jesus. And in giving our lives to Christ, we also give up the load of guilt and sin that we carry.
In order to grow in faith, we must give our time for studying and memorizing God's Word, for fellowship with other believers, and for worship.
We give allegiance to Jesus as both Savior and Master. Jesus said that in order to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross (Lk. 9:23). We do that every time we choose to say no to ourselves and yes to Him. We give ourselves to God's plan and purpose for our lives, and we give our obedience to God's Word.
Worshiping the Lord means giving, too—giving Him our praise and love. We forget about ourselves, if only for the moment, and focus on Him. As we sing or pray, we tell Him that He is worthy. We give Him honor as our King.
Think also of evangelism and witnessing. If we care about friends and neighbors coming to know Jesus Christ, we must give. We give ourselves to prayer for them. We give ourselves to developing deeper relationships with them. We give ourselves to living a godly life before them. And, finally, we give away our faith. We give them our Savior.
Within the Body of Christ, we have a responsibility to give. The Scriptures command us to give material goods to those in need, and to give love to one another. In order for the Body of Christ to function and grow, we must give the spiritual gifts God has given us back to the Church.
Giving is essential to family life. As parents and spouses, we need to give time, discipline, a listening ear, love and affection. Within our families we need to give the benefit of the doubt!
MORE THAN MONEY
Isn't it obvious that the whole idea of "giving" is far more than the money we tithe? Someone once said, "Giving is not God's way of raising money; it's His way of raising children." So the offering at 11:30 on Sunday morning becomes a metaphor for our whole walk with God.
God wants every part of us, not just our bank accounts. He wants to love us, to get close to us, to share our lives, and ultimately to mold us into the image of Jesus. But He lets us decide just how close He will get. That's why we must give ourselves to Him, in a hundred different ways, every day of our lives.
OPENING THE FLOODGATES
There's another truth expressed in the parable of the pump: only as we give do we prepare ourselves to receive.
I've begun to believe that part of the reason God asks us to give is that otherwise we would be unable to receive. The man in the parable would never experience an abundance of water until he was willing to part with the small amount he had. Similarly, we experience abundant blessing only as we are willing to spill out our lives for the Lord and others.
God's word describes a sort of "giving cycle." Simply stated, we must give, which enables us to receive, so that we can give again.
The ancient wisdom of Proverbs observes that "One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed" (Prov. 11:24–25).
Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you" (Lk. 6:38). ". . . Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness," He told us. That means giving—giving priority to God, submitting to His lordship. Then Jesus promised blessing: ". . . and all these things will be given to you as well" (Mt. 6:33).
"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand . . ." urged Peter (1 Pet. 5:6). And of course humbling ourselves is a kind of giving—giving up false pride before the God of Heaven, giving Him His rightful position. When that "giving" is done, Peter continues then we will be able to receive, "that he may lift you up in due time."
The Old Testament bears witness to the same truth. "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him" (Ps. 126:6). The sower may weep because, like our friend in the parable, he must use up his meager resources, the last of his grain, in order to receive an abundance. But his reward comes when the seed he has cast away returns many-fold, in the sheaves of harvest-time.
This giving cycle applies to all parts of our lives: to our time, to spiritual gifts, to possessions, to love, and certainly to money. We find that as we give, whether it's friendship, or time, or love, we receive in kind.
But don't misunderstand—we don't give in order to receive. That short-circuits the cycle. We give, in order to receive, so that we can give again! Paul made that clear in 2 Corinthians 9. First is the promise that giving is the key to receiving: ". . . Whoever sows generously will also reap generously" (vs. 6). But then Paul explains why God rewards the generous giver. ". . . God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" (vs. 8, my emphasis).
We don't give away our lives so we'll "get blessed." It's true that giving prepares us to receive. But the blessing we receive is not ours to keep—it's to give away, too! We give, and then receive, in order to give again.
So we discover that if we keep our small jar of water, it will soon be gone, leaving us with nothing. But in pouring it out, an unlimited fountain of abundance is released to us.
THE RISK IN GIVING
One last lesson from the parable of the pump: True giving means taking a risk.
The risk to the desert wanderer is obvious. Maybe the parchment note is a lie. Or, even if the note is accurate, maybe the leather gasket has worn out. Pouring out the water means risking his life.
When we give, there is risk for us, too. The risk may not be as dramatic, but it is risk, nonetheless. If we give our time to the Lord's work, we may not finish projects at home. If we give our love to someone, we risk painful rejection. If we give money in a sacrificial way, maybe we'll be without adequate reserves for unexpected expenses.
But the risks we take in giving are nothing more than the risks of Christianity itself. Maybe it's all a sham maybe the promises of God are a pack of lies. We put our faith on the line when we decide to give.
And that's just the point—taking a risk is another way of talking about faith in the God who invites us to give Him our whole lives. When we take Him up on that invitation, when we give ourselves to Him, it is then that our walk with God becomes more than a comfortable idea to which we have given assent. We begin to move our faith from the level road of textbook theory to the uneven terrain of daily living. It is in the risk of giving that our God shows Himself to be true and faithful and powerful.
THE POINT OF DECISION
Which brings us back to the parable of the pump. Here we are, lost in the desert. And we have found water. True, it's not much. But at least it's something. So it makes sense to drink the water we have, and ignore the pump. On the other hand, if the note can be believed, we need to risk pouring out all the water in order to start the pump. Because then there will be an unlimited supply.
We find ourselves at a point of decision. God wants to make all of us givers. And His Word says that only in giving are we prepared to receive. We can't just cling to our jar of water, no matter how thirsty we are. We're going to have to pour it out. We have to risk losing it all.
You'll be able to think of dozens of other risky, exciting giving projects. Just remember, the Lord wants to make us givers in every area of our lives.
Let's pour out the water, and watch the pump work!
Old Man Sam | 3:24 PM |
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