The Pay's the Same

Wendy and I had an opportunity to visit our friends, Kevin and Louise, at the church they’d recently planted. We’d known Kev & Lou since our days as their youth leaders in the late 1980s. Kevin and I have a lot of shared history – we met for breakfast weekly throughout his high school years.

Midway through his sermon that morning, Kevin pointed me out to the congregation, telling them, “I wouldn’t be in ministry today if it weren’t for Rob.” Wow – gracious words can be encouraging and humbling all at the same time.

He then addressed me directly. “Man, I don’t remember a thing you taught me, but I’ll never forget your friendship.”

There’s an ironic punch line just ahead. See if you can spot it.

Kevin then proceeded to quote me in his sermon, almost verbatim. Twice. So, something I’d said had stuck with him, after all. Unless he thought it was his original idea …

That reminded me of a billboard I’d seen in Winnipeg: “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when no one cares who gets the credit.”

The pay’s the same in Kingdom. “Well done, good and faithful servant … Come and share your Master’s happiness (Matthe2 25:21).” That’s enough for me.

Besides, there’s something subversively cool about having an uncredited role in the Kingdom.