Airport Chicken Tenders & Jesus

Scripture

17Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 18Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. 19By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1Timothy 6:17-18

Observation

Paul is mentoring his young protege Timothy with a powerful key to moving from a mediocre life to a meaningful one. Most of us think that if we could just make more money we’d be happy. Timothy is surrounded by ministers who are using the Gospel for their own self-promotion and selfish gain. Paul reminds Timothy that, in light of eternity, it’s not about getting, but giving! “6Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 7After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 8So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.” (I Tim. 6:6-8).  If we have all we need in Christ we should be the most generous people around. It’s a call to be a conduit of God’s blessing through which His love flows through instead of a cul-de-sac that clings to temporary wealth.

Application

I used to read this passage and think that it didn’t apply to me. Until I read that even some of the poorest people in the United States are in the upper 1% of wealth when compared with a majority of people on the planet. It’s a constant challenge for me to move out of a poverty and scarcity mindset. I can’t ever pay God back for what He’s given me, but I can pay it forward. This is in big ways like tithes and offerings, but it’s in small points of obedience too where I’m choosing to be generous in a selfish world. I’ll be honest, one of my pet peeves is how everyone everywhere is asking me for a tip even when the service is minimal or mediocre. Having been a barista at Starbucks I know how important tips are to making a living, but it’s just gone too far and sometimes I feel resentful of being asked. Then, I heard a story from Pastor Ryan Leak and it really mirrored what Paul was saying here to Timothy. Ryan had just purchased and was eating some mediocre chicken tenders in an airport terminal and they needed some BBQ sauce in a bad way. He went back up to the counter and asked for some sauce and the guy told him to pay 75 cents. I’ve had this happen before and it’s frustrating especially when their’s some attitude going along with it.  So, Ryan got his card out and paid 75 cents for some mediocre sauce for his mediocre chicken and then tipped him $10. When the guy saw the tip his attitude changed and he became very nice and accommodating even offering some fresh chicken from the back. Ryan said he didn’t tip him big because he was trying to impress but rather to make a positive impression. He wasn’t going to let this frustration ruin his day. That level of service didn’t deserve that kind of tip but, “God hasn’t called me to match mediocre for mediocre. I don’t match the energy. I set the standard. This is not about money. It’s about the heart that says I won the eternal jackpot in Jesus. I got something I didn’t deserve and now I get to give it away.” Generosity is the pathway from a mediocre life to a meaningful one. What if instead of matching the scarcity mindset of the world around us, we came in the opposite spirit of contentment and giving in Christ? John Mark Comer put it this way, “If you had absolute assurance that God would provide enough for you how would that change your view of generosity?”.

Prayer

Jesus, You gave it all to me. You held nothing back on that tree. Forgive me for grumbling about the increasing gas prices and cost of living here in California. I don’t want to match the energy of the world around me, but rather Your Spirit in me. Instead of looking for ways to hold on to what I have let me look for ways to give it away. I want to be able to say with Paul, “35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35)