Be A Pipe, Not a Bucket

No one would ever accuse me of being handy around the house—not in the slightest. But I do know the difference between a pipe and a bucket.

What flows into a bucket, stays in the bucket. And what flows into a pipe, flows out of the pipe.

If water flows out of a bucket, there’s a hole. Something’s wrong. If water doesn’t flow out of a pipe, there’s a clog. Something’s wrong. My knowledge impresses—I know.

We use this language of plumbing theology often in our church.

I can think of no other passage that speaks to our calling as pipes than the parable of the talents (see Mt 25:14-30). What the servants did with what was entrusted to them had a direct correlation to the master’s response. Jesus’ point is clear: he gets angry with those who—either out of fear or apathy—refuse to invest and keep it to themselves. He honors pipes and gets angry at buckets.

God, who has loved us outlandishly and generously, pours out his blessing on his people. John wanted his readers to grasp this concept when he wrote, “See what great love the Father has lav- ished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 Jn 3:1). Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love (see Rom 8:38-39). If this is our identity—children who’ve been lavished upon by our Father—what will we do with what has been poured into us?

Bucket people tend to hoard what God has poured into them. Bucket people play it safe. They keep it to themselves. They refuse to take risks; they become comfortable. They live stale, predictable religious lives by attending church and other activities; and yet they miss out on the real, throbbing-with-life adventure of walking obediently in a life with Christ. Bucket people are often ungrateful, self-centered and anxious.

But pipe people give of themselves freely. They share their time, their resources, their passions, their gifts and their experiences with others regularly and frequently. They don’t mind being interrupted. They proactively look for ways to pour out to others what has been poured into them. It’s inspiring to watch their way of life. Pipe people are often humble, generous, faithful and joyful and possess infectious gratitude.

A pipe life or a bucket life—which will you be?

If I could sum up the Christian life in one word, it would be stewardship. God has entrusted so much to us through his grace and compassion. The book of Acts seems to be a collection of stories of people in the early church who are fully aware of God’s immense blessing, powerfully and abundantly poured into their lives by the Spirit. And their heads were on a swivel just looking for people and opportunities to pass that blessing on to others.

So what are we doing with all that he’s blessed us with? And what will we do with what he’s blessed us with? Oftentimes, people in our church ask each other, “So, how’s your pipe?” It’s code language for,

“How are you doing stewarding what has been entrusted to you?” Occasionally we take inventory of how we are doing as pipes. We ask, “What types of clogs have we experienced—or are we experiencing? Are the pipes getting clogged by fear or apathy, greed or sin, busyness or misaligned priorities? And what sort of plumbing work is required in order to unclog the pipe so it can flow again?”

Kingdom leaders look for and celebrate pipes in their churches. They highlight their stories. They thank God for them. They challenge others to live pipe lives. Cultivate a community of pipes—and regularly celebrate when you see pipes working as pipes should.*

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*an excerpt from J.R. Briggs’ book Ministry Mantras.