Whose fries are those?
One day Fred wanted to do something special with his five year old son Jimmy. He asked “son, is there anything you’d like to do right now?” Jimmy said, “I want some McDonald French Fries.” His father said, “if that’s what my boy wants, then that’s what my boy gets.”
They got into the blue and white chevy truck and headed toward McDonald’s. Jimmy’s lips and tongue were silently moving as he could taste the fries before they even reached the store.
His Dad made the order, and Jimmy’s heart pounded when his Dad said make it a super size fry. Fred took the money out of his wallet to pay for the fries and a drink. Jimmy’s little teeth were ready to sink into those hot golden fries, before they made it to the table.
When they sat down, grace consisted of “God bless this food amen”, but it seemed like way too many words to Jimmy who was eager to delight himself with this huge blessing of French fries.
Fred was happy to see his little boy so happy over something so simple. He decided to join in the fun. He reached over to get a couple of Jimmy’s fries for himself. To his surprise, his son quickly put his arms around his fries as though building a fort and pulled them toward himself and said, “No, these are mine.” His dad was in a state of shock for a moment. He could not believe what had happened.
Fred pulled back his hand and began to reflect about his son’s attitude toward the fries.
Let’s walk together through the things that went through his mind. He was thinking, my son failed to realize that I am the source of those French fries.
At the counter, I was the one who gave the cashier the money from my wallet. I did not give him the size fry he was expecting, but something twice as big. Yet here he is talking about his French fries.
Not only was I the source of the French fries, he has forgotten that I at 6ft 1 and 195 lbs, have the power to take all the fries despite his little arms surrounding them as a fort. Or that if I wanted to, I could go back to the counter and bring him so many fries that he could never eat them all.
He also does not understand, “that I don’t need his French fries. I could go back to the counter and get as many fries as I wanted.”
As the Dad thought about it, one or two fries really would not have made much of a difference for him that day. What he wanted was for his son Jimmy, to invite him into the wonderful little world he had made possible for his son. He wanted his son to be willing to share the very blessing that he had provided.
When we talk about being sold out for Christ, we have to realize that everyday God gives us the choice to live out the chance to Never underestimate the Spirit. God takes us to McDonald’s on a regular basis in our lives.
God blesses us. He blesses you and God blesses me. He’s given us all some French fries. Some have small bags, others medium, others large and some super size. Some are narrow and light in color like McDonald’s others are thick and dark like Wendy’s. Some are straight and some Arby’s are curly. But God has given us all some fries.
Like that Dad, Fred, God desires to sit down at the table with us for some fellowship. When God reaches over to use some of the blessings he has given to us, far too often we say “No God, these are mine. No, No, No. Go and get your own.” We try building our own little forts around our blessings.
Everything we have and everything we are has come from the Lord.
I have to do a sermon on giving every few years because you need to be blessed and learn to not be afraid of prices or the economy.
James 1:17
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.
God does not need our French fries, and that it is an honor and a privilege to be able to share our fries with God. God does not ask us to give because God is hurting and in desperate need.
God asks us to give because God wants us to be like Him. God has a giving attitude and he wants that giving attitude modeled in his children.
The first verse many people learn is John 3:16 which begins,
“for God so love the world that He”
what did God do?
….He gave His only Son.
Throughout the Bible, you find that God is always giving. In your own lives, how many of you know that you cannot underestimate God’s ability to provide for you in ways that you had not thought possible.
God is very interested in response to the blessings He sends our way and what we choose to do with them. Let’s look at a passage of Scripture in 1 Chronicles 29:10-17
In the first 9 verses we see an amazing offering being given for the building of the center of their faith. At today’s prices, just the gold was 12.5 billion dollars now that’s an offering, that was an amazing sacrifice by a number of people but here is what David said about it
Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:
“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. 13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace. 16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
Notice some things here
“Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours,”
“Wealth and honor come from you alone”
“Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!”
“Even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you. It all belongs to you!”
David freely gave and all of Israel freely gave this was beyond their tithe. They still each all gave 10% of the income in whatever way they gained income but with this there was amazing giving.
To David it was giving out of love, not a sacrifice at all, for three reasons:
- He had the Father’s heart of giving he was not selfish at all. He knew His life and future where not in his hands but God’s, John 3:16 from earlier
- He recognized everything he had including His skills, talents money all belonged to God so he was rejoicing that God allowed him to keep anything but was joyous to give back to God what he did
- He recognized you can’t out give God
- Because of this exorbitant giving they had created a place that established their home…the establishment of the temple was the last part to make Jerusalem their home
- When we learn to give we create a home where God dwells. When we give. Here is the promise of God from Malachi 3:8-11
Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test! 11 Your crops will be abundant, for I will guard them from insects and disease. Your grapes will not fall from the vine before they are ripe,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
God is saying you have cheated, I gave you all the French fries and you are saying NOOOOO! These are mine!
But he is not really concerned about us cheating Him. He doesn’t need us to give Him anything, everything is his so why is God so upset?
He was upset because we are cheating ourselves..it is like when we sin God can not bless it and when we don’t trust him with our giving
God promises that if you trust Him, give your 10% tithe and offerings. God will protect, bless, and supply all that you need.
I have numerous examples of how the Lord has done that for Paige and me but I thought hearing from someone else but show you that it is not Ministers who are blessed when they are obedient.
MARK SCOTT
2) Establishing the temple in Jerusalem also brought prosperity and blessing to Israel, as being obedient through giving will be for you
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Giving is saying to God I trust you more than I trust my ability to earn a livingGod is not in need of your French fries but he does want you to share with Him. 100% of what you have, as David said, come from God he asked for you to have His heart in giving not because He needs it but so
Examples, kid’s college, investments, home, cars
We decide if the fries we eat are small, medium, large, or super-sized based on how much we have learned to trust God
3) As they established the temple giving to God they were blessed not only for themselves but all the nations and people around them were blessed with peace and prosperity.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
When God gives to you and knows he can trust you, he gives you more French fries than you need and expects you to be willing to share with us.
We give to others:
– Though our tithe, giving 10% or more to the church
– We give through offerings helping special projects, other ministries
– Through alms giving to the poor and individuals in need
But we also give to others through our skills, gifts, and time:
– volunteer for children’s church
– volunteer in our outreach programs
– using your gifts as in and outside of the church just to serve others
– give our time and talents to help others
As we read in Malachi when we learn to give and especially give God’s way. God opens the windows of heaven
Why? Because when we give…
- We act like God… because he loved he gave!
- We prove that we trust Him more than ourselves, our ability to earn
- We have overcome pride, fear, lust and selfishness. We prove we really want to be like him not just act or trust Him
I would ask you not to trust my words today because people are funny about money. I would ask you to put God to the test at His Word.
God wants to bless you this thanksgiving he wants you to have a thankful heart and prove that you have it, by learning to trust that God has more French fries for you than you can imagine but you decide if it is a small, medium, large or supersize by how much you are willing to trust Him.
Malachi 3:10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!
Where are you financially? Are you blessed enough? Are you at peace about cost and expenses or do you worry about money all the time?
God wants to bless you but you have to walk in obedience. The church is not hurting but if you are not giving, you are hurting yourself Try it for six months I guarantee you if you trust God he will bless you.
Whose fries are they any way?