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Saturday, April 2, 2016

The Parable of The Attentive Waitress

My wife and I are on a week-long vacation to Asheville, North Carolina. While driving through an Indiana rain storm late one night we saw a few signs for The Farmhouse Restaurant up ahead. We decided to stop not knowing what it would be like. We were glad we did. :)

The hostess to us to our table and we sat down. As we were still entering the booth our waitress came over and asked if she could get us something to drink. We ordered water and began perusing the menu. She returned with the water just as we both decided what we wanted and took our order.

My wife and I chatted for five minutes or so when the waitress showed up with out food.

"Wow, that was fast," my wife said. We began to eat. Throughout our dinner the waitress came back several times, asking us how the food was, could she get us anything else. Just as I finished my glass of water out waitress showed up again . . . with a small carafe of water . . . and filled my water glass. This waitress knew exactly what her job was - to serve. And she did it well - receiving a 20% tip from my former-waitress wife. Impressive.

As I watched this young lady work at serving I wondered how MY serving matched up. Was I as good at serving others as this waitress was? I don't think so. Yet God gives me a "big tip" anyway, eternal life in His kingdom. Why?

". . . whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:26-28

Jesus came to serve. He came to serve God! And Jesus did everything His Father asked. Basically Jesus was an attentive waiter. Waiting on His Father, doing what He commended Him to do. Am I like that? Do I do everything God asks or suspects me to do. No. Absolutely not. Yet God gives me that amazing tip anyway - a tip I don't deserve at all. How does that make me feel? Not very good. Not very good at all.

My service pails in comparison to the example Jesus set in HIS service. I don't deserve a tip at all. Yet we are called to obey God's commands and act as a servant to everyone we meet, in addition to God. I need to go to learn how to become a better waiter. How about you?

Waitress Gets $1000 Tip

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