Just a cup of water?

Matt 10:42: “And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”

Matt 25:34-43: “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.

All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.

I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?

I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’

“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’

“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”

There is way more to this story than we can unpack here. The point we want to look at is the value and power of a simple cup of water given in love.

Really, God keeps track of a cup of water? It is so insignificant. People won’t be appreciate a cup of water.

A cup of water costs so little of me — yet God notices?

Why, even a child can give a cup of water.

It seems that God is very aware of needs and how important even such a small act helps and encourages.

How does that reveal of my awareness that even my smallest love response is part of God’s program?

Will my obligation of love be fulfilled with one cup? Maybe one cup is not all that is needed. Maybe a second cup — a third? Might a morsel of bread be helpful?

What else could a “cup of water” be?

Love knows God is in the action; Love knows God will bless even the smallest gift (i.e a cup of cold water). How cheap is that? How simple and easy is that? We discredit it, but Jesus didn’t.

Fortunately for all of us, God doesn’t stop with one cup of water when he deals with us.

Rivers of water.

“He who is thirsty…”