Priming the Pump

"Give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, shaken together and running over" (Luke 6:38a).

Once upon a time a man was lost in a vast desert; his tongue parched and thirst ravaging. Day after day he wandered without food or water, and he had reached the end of his strength.

All of a sudden, the man saw a water pump in the distance. Was it a mirage of his own desperation or was it an answer to prayer? When he arrived to the pump, he reached out his hand and grasped the steely metal. It was real. He eagerly began to raise the handle and pumped feverishly, but no water came out.

Then he read a note that was attached to the pump:

"Welcome to the only water well within 100 miles. This well can satisfy all your thirst and more. Hidden in the sand to the right is a bottle of water whereby you can prime the pump. Pour the water into the pump while pumping the handle, and you will have all the water you desire. While you may be tempted to drink the water from the bottle, please do not. If you do, there will be no more water for you or future guests. But if you pour out the water to prime the pump, you will have plenty. When finished drinking, please fill the bottle again and bury it in the sand for those yet to come who also will be dying of thirst. Enjoy!"

What's the moral of the story? It's only when we lose our life that we find it. It's when we give to others, that we also receive ourselves. If life is only about me and my needs, I will still be thirsty. But if I care about others in need, my needs will also be met.

When we care about others who are spiritually dying of thirst, then we also drink freely ourselves. When we love generously, it somehow returns to us generously. When we share our faith, our love for Jesus ignites all over again. But when we are self-centered, we never have enough.

Will you stop the rat-race today and ask God to bring someone into your path that needs a drink of living water? Ask them if life is treating them well. Ask them how you can pray for them. Reach out to someone in need... today. You won't regret it... God guarantees it.

Intentional for souls,

Tom Elie
Evangelist/President
Oasis World Ministries
www.oasisworldministries.org