And Then Some

And Then Some by Rick Gillespie- Mobley

Genesis 24:1-24:20

And then some

Genesis 24:1-9 Matthew 5:38-48 Test Genesis 24:9-20

Imagine yourself being the owner of your own business. You have the chance to make millions of dollars in profit. A lot is going to depend on your employees. You can only choose from among one of three kinds of people. First there is the employee who is lazy. He or she goofs off every opportunity he or she gets. Coffee break is 10 minutes longer than it should be, and at 4:45 they’ve stopped working so as to get in a last 15 minute break before leaving at 5pm.

Second there is the worker that arrives at 9 and leaves at 5. Whatever you ask the person to do, he or she will do it. You can depend on the person to fulfill his or her task. This person will let others know if you ask them to do something beyond what it’s in the job description, the person will say, “But that’s not my job.” Third there is the worker, who does what he or she is asked to do, and then some. They don’t waste asking, “who was supposed to do this”, if they can do it and still get their job done. Their goal is to make the company all that it can be, and try to help others who might need some assistance along the way. Everybody knows, that person is going to do his or her job and then some. Which type of worker is going to make that company the most profitable.

You know God has a field that is full of workers for Him. God has sent his laborers into the fileds. If you have given your life to Christ, you are among those laborers. Which of the workers best described how you’re doing on the job. Are you lazy? Are you doing just what it takes to get by? Are you a believer doing what’s expected of you and then some?

In our New Testament reading, Jesus is telling us, do not settle just being an average kind of a person. Make a difference for me, by shocking others by being an “and then some kind of a believer.” When was the last time you amazed someone by going above and beyond what was expected. God gives us the opportunity more often than we think God does. I think of Mary and Vikie cooking all day for VBS. They did not have to do it, but they wanted to give something special.

We find a woman in the Scriptures who was willing to do what was asked and then some and in doing so, found the greatest of blessings for her life. The story is found in Genesis 24. We saw in our Scripture reading that Abraham wanted to get a wife for his son. Abraham was the first Jew called out by God, and God had promised to make him a great nation. Abraham waited a long time to have a son. Back then, the parents were responsible for choosing a mate for their children.

Genesis 24:10 Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

Then he prayed, "O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water.

May it be that when I say to a girl, ’Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ’Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’--let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master."

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The girl was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever lain with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, "Please give me a little water from your jar." "Drink, my lord," she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, "I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have finished drinking." So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels.