Platter of Plenty
One morning I was preparing to feed my dogs, Dixie and Millie. When I went to the cabinet, found there wasn’t any dog food. I knew they were hungry, since there wasn’t a single morsel left in their bowls, and one was sneaking into the cat food.
I was extremely busy. I didn’t want to drop everything to run to the store. In desperation to feed them, I looked through the fridge to see what I could prepare. The girls usually don’t get table scraps since they go on hunger strikes for days refusing to eat food made for dogs. However, this was an exception since I couldn’t afford the distraction from my task.
I hit the jackpot! I found some left over pork chops and rice. They were in for a treat! They had their eyes on the chops a few days
before when hubby had barbecued.
As I was dishing out portions, I put an extra chop in the Dixie's dish. She was much older and larger. I knew Millie, who was only seven 7 months, would be filled up with her portion. When I went to place the helpings in front of them as they pounced with excitement, I noticed that Dixie ran straight to Millie’s bowl despite the extra chop in hers. I watched the greediness of it all and then laughed stating, “Your loss Dixie”.
This reminded me of how people act sometimes. It's easy to have the tendency to want something someone else has; believing that what we have isn’t as good. If we didn’t have this tendency then why would God have to put “Thou shalt not covet in our ten commandments?
Exodus 20:17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
I found 45 verses in scripture regarding greed!
Greed comes in all colors, shapes, and sizes. It can stem from money to position, on the job, in a family, and unfortunately even in our own sanctuaries.
There are some who prefer the platform instead of serving a plate.
There is no position greater than the other though different, as it is all the same God at work within us:
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
Some act like children, working with resentment because 'so and so' got to do 'such and such' while they're still wiping babies bottoms in the church nursery, or picking up litter in the lavatory.
It can be a job situation where someone gets a raise or promotion you wanted, or the jealousy over a neighbor's BMW while your coasting down the highway with white smoke bellowing out, backfiring as people duck....thinking your a drive-by.
This reminds me of my children. It usually starts with, “Mom, he (or she) won’t share….Make her (or he) give me some!” I almost fell out of my chair when I read these verses in Luke with the same argument.
Luke 12:13-15
Then someone called from the crowd, “Teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father’s estate with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that?” Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
I thought to myself, God must really get tired of the whining over what someone doesn’t have. It must grieve him to hear the comparison complaints. I know that after a while of listening to my two it just wears me down and I end up taking whatever it was away so that neither has any reason to pursue the argument.
Most don’t realize the responsibility that comes with the so-called greater position or portion of blessing whether in the workplace or sanctuary.
Luke 12:48
But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
We peer into someone’s life watching the surface much like window shopping. It looks pretty on display but we don’t want to pay the price to own it. There is often a great price to pay when promoting in God’s kingdom or on a job. You don’t know the cost that person waged to become who they are and in position. If you knew the truth, you may not want what they have after all.
That afternoon Dixie who greedily went to the wrong bowl and missed out on the extra chop, became ravenous. I hadn’t gone to the store yet, so she was going to have to wait. She lay there with her sad look...stomach growling and I am sure with much regret after watching Millie devour the extra chop.
Dixie missed out on the fullness that she could have experienced. She didn’t realize that it was more than enough. We often miss out on the fullness because our eyes are focused on the “have-nots”. God knows exactly what we can handle and where we need to be in our jobs, or in ministry.
If you waste time envying, you miss out on the opportunities that God wants to use you in. He wants accessibility. We must be available, whether it's in a grocery store to witness to someone or carry their groceries. We must also be willing to go through the process it takes to be planted in position on a job, or in a church.
This means consistently reaching for the platter of plenty from God. Who has promised to carry out the good work in you.
Philippians 1:6
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
We weren't formed with a cookie cutter to look and act the same, but in relishing our uniqueness, we each have an important job to do no matter how small the task may seem. That work can be performed at your workplace, school, church or in your neighborhood.
The body of Christ is much like a pendulum clock. The mechanism is made up in such a way that the gear train that transmits the force of power to cause motion is equipped with large gears known as wheels that mesh with small gears known as pinions. The wheels consist of a center wheel, third wheel, and fourth wheel.
There is a separate set of wheels, the motion work, which divides the motion of the minute hand by 12 to move the hour hand. The escapement allows the wheel train to move in a stable motion with each swing of the pendulum, which is released one tooth at a time by a lever that rocks back and forth. Each time the escape wheel moves forward it also gives the pendulum or balance wheel a push to keep it moving.
In other words, the wheels have to be moving in sync with one another in harmony for the achievement of transmitting power to run the clock. We are like those wheels, if we do not mesh, and work in one accord for God’s Kingdom, our workplace, and home-life then the entire system runs sparingly or breaks down.
We all stand to lose. There isn't room for greed.
We are to push each other to keep moving forward like the escape wheel with encouragement, working in a rhythm that orchestrates and demonstrates God’s love. If we are doing that, then we're not greedily reaching over into someone else's plate to finish off their left-overs. We are full and content with where God has placed us. We toss out the comparison chart and work to the best of our God-given ability enduring, pursuing peace, practicing patience, but most of all walking in love.
“Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate” - William Arthur
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