Are We Wasting Resources God Has Given Us? - Apples of Gold - March 26, 2008 -vi-

Apples of Gold
 

Radio Script for March 26, 2008

“Are We Wasting Resources God Has Given Us?”

Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.

I took my daughter and her friends out for a big night on the town.

It wasn’t long before they were all “starving to death,” so we ran in for some fast food.

Some of them wolfed it down and were ready to hit the road.  One girl still had a lot of food and was going to throw it away.  Her friend said, “You’re not going to waste all that food are you?”

The other girl said, “I’m totally full.” 

Her friend said, “Eat it anyway.  You don’t want to waste it.”

At that point I jumped in and said, “She will waste it either way; yes if she throws it away, but also if she eats it.  If she eats when she is full and her body doesn’t need it, it’s still a waste.  The real waste occurred when she ordered more than she could eat.”

Of course she could have wrapped the burger in a napkin, put it in her purse and eaten it later.  That’s about as bright as shoving tater tots in your pocket and snacking on them during class.

I must admit, I hate waste.  At our house, I hate to see food go in the garbage.  To me, it’s just like pulling cash out of your pocket and lighting it on fire. 

Yes, I believe in recycling, both official and unofficial.  By unofficial recycling I mean things like reusing paper.  For example, here at the station we receive a lot of faxes.  Instead of throwing all that paper away, we use the backside for scratch paper.

I have always driven an economy car to keep from wasting gas – or at least to keep from wasting money on gas.

Some people have the mindset of, “Make a lot of money, buy a lot of stuff, throw it away, buy more and keep the economy going.”  I’m all for keeping the economy going, but surely we can do it without so much waste. 

Have you ever been to a garbage dump?  It’s a real eye-opener.  Just think of a city the size of Tallahassee.  I know how much garbage my little family puts out by the road every week.  Now multiply that by hundreds of thousands, and where does it all go? 

There is a fascinating little story in the Bible that you’ve probably heard many times, but not from this angle.  In John chapter six we read about Jesus feeding the five thousand.  Jesus took the little boy’s barley loaves and fish, then multiplied it to feed everyone.  It was amazing.

So there’s this huge crowd, and everyone has had all they can eat.  I can picture someone shouting to the little boy, “What’d you bring for dessert?”

Anyway, at this point Jesus said something very interesting.  He told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over.  Let nothing be wasted.”

First of all, why didn’t His miracle stop at exactly the right amount?  Second, He basically created the food out of thin air.  Nobody paid for it.  No money would be lost.  Why was He so interested in preventing waste?

But He was.  Jesus had provided that food as a resource, and once it was provided, He did not want it wasted.

He could have not mentioned it at all.  Or He could have said, “Gather it up and throw it away.”  But instead He made it clear that He did not want this newly created resource to go to waste.

Years ago I heard Corrie ten Boom talk about coming to America from war-torn Europe.  She saw someone throwing away paper and she wanted to grab it.  Paper was a valuable commodity where she was from, even waste paper.  But she soon realized that’s the way we do things in America.

Why is that?  Because we are so prosperous.  Most Americans are under 60 years old, and we don’t remember anything other than great prosperity.  We don’t have to save anything, because there is always plenty more where that came from.

Now here is the big question.  Are we wasting resources God has given us? 

Think about the resources at your disposal.  That includes your body, your mind, your time and your talents.  It includes all your stuff, and all your money. 

When I think of all my resources, I hear the words of Jesus, “Let nothing be wasted.”

Some of you have heard this and are saying, “Doug, you should see my situation.  I don’t have enough to begin with, let alone enough to waste.”  Then you might want to focus on the little boy in the story.  Little did he know that, with God’s help, he actually had enough to feed five thousand people.

Anyway, think about your resources today, then think about Jesus’ words, “Let nothing be wasted.”  And then comes the big question, “Are we wasting resources God has given us?”


Comments?

E-mail me:  dougapple@wave94.com.

May God bless you today!  With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
 

 
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)

Why “The Arrow’s Tip”?  Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold.  Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.”  I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.

Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL  32315
(850) 926-8000

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