"What's for Lunch?"

When I was growing up in school I always looked forward to lunchtime. Lunchtime in first grade was never just about eating - it was about seeing what everyone brought in their lunch box and then seeing what you had in yours so you could trade to get something you "really" liked. I always pitied the kid whose health conscious mother packed broccoli and dip and rice cakes for dessert. In the first grade you can’t trade broccoli and dip for anything, as a matter of fact in the first grade you can’t even give it away. Lunch is special for little boys, they like to eat. So when you see a young lad giving away (not trading) his lunch, something special is going on.

There is story in the Gospels we all know. Story about a boy (we don’t know his name) who went to hear a famous preacher named Jesus. He had to travel a ways to hear him, he preached for a long time, so long people started to get hungry around supper time. However, there were no fast food restaurants in that day, and they were a long way from town. Some men (the disciples) started to mingle among the crowd asking people if they had any food. All they were able to discover was a young lad who had five loaves and two fish. The young lad brought them to Jesus and gave them to him. I’ll be honest. If I had been that young boy, the story would have been about four loaves and one fish. I would have stuffed one loaf and one fish in my pocket “just in case”. The young lad did not trade his lunch, I’ll give you this if you give me that. He just gave it away. The boy did not look at the the size of the problem (huge) he looked at what he had in his hand (small) and he gave it to Jesus and Jesus did something awesome. The thing that strikes me about this story is the unselfish generosity of a young boy and the compassion, and power of Jesus Christ as he takes what is given him and feeds the whole crowd until they were filled.

Generosity is tough. Generosity is tough because it touches the thing closest to our heart. Money.

Money means security. Money means safety. Money means comfort. Money means power. Money means influence. Money means success. Money means we have a refuge. Money means the kids will be looked after. Money means we will be taken care of when we are old. All of these things battle in our hearts for supremacy every day. “Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21

For most people in our culture money is their god. Money is there protector. Giving away money is giving away our security, our safety, our power etc. But for the believer money should be none of those things. God is our security, safety our refuge. We are free to give because God has promised to take care of us. As we know Jesus taught a lot about money and Proverbs speaks about it as well. One passage is in chapter 11.

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.
The people curse him who holds back grain,
but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it.
(Proverbs 11:24-26 ESV)

These verses tell about one who “gives freely” one who “brings blessing” one who “waters” and one who is willing to sell much needed grain instead of hoarding it for a better price or a “rainy day”. I think these verses along with many others demonstrate the blessing of generosity. They demonstrate that you cannot out give God. The one who gives will blessed, they will be taken care of.

we've all heard the saying “a fool and his money are soon parted”. Certainly fools do foolish things with their money. Throw it away on frivolous and pointless things. Fools withhold what they should give, (just in case). Fools have money as their god, they are a slave of money, money is their master. Fools store up for themselves money, build bigger barns to store all their stuff. Jesus says you fool, life does not consist in the abundance of the things we possess. Luke 12:15-21

So if “a fool and his money are soon parted”. Then it must be true that a wise person will hold onto his money as tight as he can. But that is not what scripture teaches.

Wise people do not throw their money away.
Wise people know their security is not in their bank account.
Wise people know God blesses that we might be a blessing to others.
Wise people bring what they have to God and say “this belongs to you do with it as you see fit”.
Wise people see a need and, if able, help to meet that need.
Wise people have God seated on the throne of their heart.

Where is my treasure? Who or what has my heart? If you would have been in the crowd that day as the disciples were looking for food and you had a lunch would you have stepped forward or run away and eaten it in secret? 2 Corinthians 9:6-12 Proverbs 3:9-10 Proverbs 3:27-28

What's in your lunch bag? Give wisely, give generously, give cheerfully, give thankfully. “The one who waters will himself be watered.”