Lord of The Fries

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8

I can remember years ago taking my youngest daughter, Hannah, to McDonald’s one day and buying her Happy Meal. As we were leaving the drive through, I reached over and took a fry from her bag. That’s when I felt a little slap on my hand and she quickly let me know, “No dad! Those are mine!”

Although I didn’t use these exact words that day, I reminded my daughter of a few things about sharing. First, she had forgotten that her loving father was the source of all of those fries. I took her to McDonald’s, I paid for the order, I gave them to her, and I was driving her back home. The only reason she got any fries was because of me, the lord of the fries!

Secondly, she didn’t realize I could have taken those fries away in a flash if I had wanted to. Or, I could buy her an entire truckload of fries if I wanted to, because I had the power to do either.

And, finally, I didn’t need her fries. I could have easily gotten my own. I could buy myself fifty cartons of them if I wanted to. I just wanted her to learn to be unselfish and the importance of giving.

THREE LESSONS FROM THE LORD ON GIVING.

Those three lessons I wanted my daughter to learn are the same ones God wants you and I to learn so that we can be generous towards God and others.

First, God wants you to remember that he is the Source of everything you own. You would have nothing without Him. You wouldn’t even be alive, if it weren’t for God!

Second, God could take it all away from you in an instant, or he could double it, because He’s has the power to do so.

Third, God doesn’t desire your money. His concern is that you recognize Him as your loving Father Whom you can trust to provide for your every need!

YOU CAN’T OUT GIVE GOD!

When it comes to giving, some people stop at nothing. Some people live their lives with clinched fists. They try to hold on to everything and grab anything of value they can get their hands on so they can hoard up all the wealth they can. How foolish!

But there are others who are wise and live with open hands. They recognize all their blessings come from the Lord and He blesses them abundantly so they can give back to Him and others. They understand the truth of our verse for today where God promises that, “(He) is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things…” That verse, simply put, means as you give to the Lord and others, He will in turn bless you abundantly for your generosity!

LIVE WITH OPEN HANDS.

First of all, obey the Lord and give Him His tithes (1/10 of your income). His command to give the tithe is a test of your faith. To give the Lord the tithe is simply saying to Him, “Lord, I’m recognizing that every blessing I enjoy comes from You! And to prove that, I’m giving your tithe back to You!” He promises that if you will give back His tithe, He will, “…open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10). Remember, all “the fries” come from Him. Every blessing you in enjoy “..comes from above.” (Ja. 1:17). He owns it all!

The Lord will respond to your faith. He will honor His promise! Once you honor God with His tithes, then you can start giving. If you will practice generosity, God will give you everything you need plus more so you’ll have enough to share with other people.

He’s looking for a channel like a straw … when He finds it … someone who’s willing to say, “God, use me to be a blessing to other people”… He just starts pouring His blessings straight through you.

If you will learn to be generous, God will bless you more than you can imagine! Ask yourself today… How does the way I treat and use my possessions and resources reflect my understanding that everything I have belongs to God? He truly is the “Lord of the fries” and all of the many blessings we enjoy!

Think it over…

Doug Pierceis a Church planter and a pastor. In 2003 he started, and continues to pastorFirst Independent Methodist Churchin Madison, Mississippi. His #1 priority is to glorify God in all aspects of ministry. He does this through teaching his congregation to Love God, Love One Another, and Love Others to God. Prayer, outreach, and church growth through evangelism are vital parts of his ministry. He and his wife Suzanne live in Madison, Mississippi where they also enjoy their children and grandchildren.

Photo is AI Generated