A stick, a stone, and two coins TV commercials don’t get many “likes” from me but occasionally one like the group of Vikings plundering a village for spoils comes along that resonates. At the end one raider holds up a credit card and asks: What’s in your Wallet? The message: A piece of plastic can get whatever you want plus double miles. The not so subtle message is we can have anything we want with a card in our wallet but is it true? We’ve all been in a checkout line when a clerk tells someone their card has been declined embarrassing the customer and underscoring a basic truth—It’s not what’s in your wallet but what’s behind it! We understand this in daily life, but the truth finds parallels in our faith life. We seemed to have developed a mentality that doing something for God requires resources we don’t have and beg tobe excused with “that’s above my credit limit?” Three biblical commercials give perspective. A Stick—God asks Moses to tell the most powerful man in the world to free the Hebrew people. We can certainly identify with Moses’ excuses and even suggesting a smooth talker like Charlton Heston would be a better choice. (Exodus 3:10) God answers each objection and finally asks “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” (Exodus 4:2) At God’s command the stick turned into a snake and back again. Pharaoh learns when Moses lifts his stick it’s going to be a bad day! It isn’t the stick in Moses’ hand but God behind the stick. A Stone—A confident shepherd boy armed with a sling shot and five stones faces a well equipped and experienced nine foot tall Goliath in a battle with national implications… and wins! (1Samuel 17) We often miss two keys to his victory: God’s honor—“for he has defied the armies of the living God! (37) and confidence “I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you!” ( 45-46) It isn’t the stone in David’s sling shot but his confidence in God’s ability. Two Coins—Operating the temple takes money but they don’t pass the offering baskets while the music plays; brass containers are used to receive the metal coins—no checks or online giving...yet. The sounds of a handful of coins attract attention of everyone when the wealthy stand back to and throw their coins into the box and the Executive Priest smiles. Amidst the hoopla a poor widow tries to not be noticed as she quietly drops in two coins but Jesus notices and says “I tell you the truth...this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” (Luke 21:4) It’s not about the size of your wallet. I received an email from the leader of a church group who had been generously support chaplains. She said the recession had really affected the amount of donations they were receiving and apologized for not being able to do more. My response was “God doesn’t expect us to be fruitful, He expects us to be faithful. If we’re faithful with what we have He will make us fruitful.” A stick, a stone, or coins doesn’t make the difference; it takes God’s presence and power. What’s in your hand?
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 23:19:46 +0000
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