The MET Church Houston, Texas

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.” (Matthew 10:42)

Blake Mankin grew up in an affluent lifestyle, but was firmly grounded in God. He freely admits he has never wanted for anything, and for that he is grateful. Blake and his friends would often try to one-up each other with material things that they could easily attain as a result of their lifestyle. In high school, he took a trip to the Sudan in Africa. As the filth and poverty assaulted his being, Blake began to question, “How could God allow such suffering?” Not long into his trip, he began feeling guilty about blaming God for what he was seeing. By the time Blake left the Sudan and returned to his affluent life, his question had turned to “Why would God allow such wealth?” A few weeks after his return from Sudan, Blake and several of his friends decided to donate money they would have spent trying attain more things and use it to supply fresh water to people in the Sudan. Then they challenged their classmates to do the same. The boys raised $6,000, which enabled a ministry to build two water wells. Those two wells now provide clean water for 10,000 people in the Sudan. In the end, Blake learned that there are more important things to do with the wealth that he’d been given. Even a seemingly inconsequential gift can make a large impact on others.

We can all be inspired by Mankin’s willingness to give a cup of cold water to others. Using resources available to many American high school students, Blake and his friends made a huge, life-saving impact on 10,000 lives in the Sudan and potentially the Kingdom of God. What can you do with the resources God has given you? Ask Him how you can use your wealth to impact lives forever.