AN Eastern King was once in need of a faithful servant and friend. He gave notice that he wanted a man to do a day’s work, and two men came and asked to be employed. He engaged them both for certain fixed wages, and set them to work to fill a basket with water from a neighboring well, saving he would come in the evening and see their work. He then left them to themselves, and went away.
After putting in one or two buckets full, one of the men said: “What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as you pour in water it runs out.’
The other man answered: “But we have our daily wages, haven’t we? The use of the work is the master’s business, not ours.”
“I am not going to do such fool’s work,” replied the other, and, throwing down his bucket, he went away.
The other man continued his work, and about sunset he exhausted the well. Looking down into it he saw something shining at the bottom. He let down his bucket once more, and drew up a precious diamond ring.
“Now I see the use of pouring water into a basket,” he exclaimed to himself. “If the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was dry, it would have been found in the basket. The labor was not useless after all.”
But he had yet to learn why the king had ordered this apparently useless task. It was to test their capacity for perfect obedience, without which no servant is reliable.
At this moment, the king came up to him, and, as he bade the man keep the ring, he said: “Thou hast been faithful in a little thing; now I see I can trust thee in great things. Henceforth thou shalt stand at my right hand.”
The Lord wants us to be faithful in the little things of our daily life, serving Him in our home, school, business, with our little friends—anything that is given us to do.
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 11:31. May the Lord be able to say of us, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Matth. 25:21.
ML-10/31/1920