Joe Slater
A city slicker bought a farm and moved into the farmhouse. He went to his new neighbor and asked if he might purchase a milk cow. The neighbor sold him his prize milk cow, and the city slicker happily took the cow to the barn on his farm.
Within three weeks the cow went dry. The city slicker returned to his neighbor and complained: “That milk cow you sold me is no good!” The astonished neighbor replied, What do you mean?” The city slicker explained: «She has gone dry! I can’t understand it, either. If ever a person was kind and considerate to an animal, I was to that cow.
If I didn’t need any milk, I didn’t milk her. If I needed only a quart, I took only a quart.” The neighbor then explained that the way to keep milk flowing wasn’t to take as little as possible from the cow, but to take as much as possible.
Isn’t that true of the life of a Christian? Like milk cows, we must keep giving on order to keep the flow of Christianity alive. We are to give of our time, our talent, and our treasure. If we give of these things only when an extraordinary need arises, we miss the opportunities and joys of day-to-day service.
In the case of the milk cow, there is always a need for more milk. Not everyone has a full stomach. All over the world there are hungry people. Besides, the “use it or lose it” factor is obvious. Likewise, there is always more to do in the Lord’s kingdom. There are classes to be taught, discouraged people to be encouraged, sick and homebound people to be visited or called or written to, missionaries to be supported and encouraged, lost friends, relatives, co-workers, and neighbors to be contacted, and a world full of people to be prayed for. If we are content to do only a tiny bit., we may end up doing nothing at all. On the other hand, if we will give and give of our time, talent, and treasure, God will supply every need and give us additional opportunities to glorify Him and bless other people’s lives.