Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 19, 2008
“Jesus Just Spilled His Drink”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
Devion and Damari turned 13 Sunday.
They are twins who are living with us for the summer.
Now I know that Jesus said if we do something for the “least of these,” it’s just like doing it for Him. But have you ever felt like telling Jesus to pipe down because you’re trying to sleep? Or what do you do when Jesus starts chasing dragon flies around the pool with a broom handle, takes a swing and rips a hole in the screen? Or what about when Jesus swings a golf club in the house…by the light? Sometimes Jesus even wants to play the punching game.
And then there’s the eating. Jesus doesn’t seem to care that food prices are up. He just won’t stop eating.
And in spite of all this, no matter how much I coax, I just can’t get Jesus to do the chicken noodle soup for me.
See, this idea of doing something for the “least of these” can seem very romantic on the surface. But when you get down to actually doing it, it gets messy real quick.
“What? Jesus just spilled his drink?”
Oh. It’s “just water” he says. It’s okay.
“Can I stop thinking about them as Jesus now? I’m not seeing the similarity.”
And that’s exactly why Jesus brought it up. If Jesus Himself walked in, we would give Him the royal treatment. We would feed Him the best food, and He could eat all He wanted. If He wanted to stay, we would be thrilled to have Him. “Please, stay forever.”
But the “least of these,” now that’s a different story. We try to keep them at arm’s length. It’s one thing to give them some money now and then, but we certainly can’t have them disrupting our lives. It’s costly and messy, and you’re not even sure you’re doing any good.
And that’s why Jesus said what He did in Matthew 25. If we do good for the “least of these,” we have done it to Him. And if we neglect the least of these, we have neglected Him.
When needy people come into your life, how you treat them is how you treat Jesus.
Now let’s take a look at an incredible teaching in Luke 14. Jesus was invited to a dinner party at the home of a prominent citizen. It sounds like there were several big wheels there as well. Fancy people. Fancy house. Fancy food. Probably a guy in a tux playing piano over by the fountain.
Anyway, at one point Jesus turns to his host and says, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Look at how Jesus addressed one of our core motivations: the payback. They invite you over. You invite them over. It’s a closed loop, and the needy are left out because they have nothing to offer. I mean, who wants to network with the needy?
Now I wish that Jesus said, “Help the needy, and the next day you will be blessed.” Oh, He did offer a carrot, but it’s on a really long stick.
Look what He said, “Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
“Say what? I won’t be repaid ‘til after I’m dead?”
That’s what He said. That’s the way He said it in Luke 14, and that’s the way He said it in Matthew 25. We are to do good for the needy now, and we will be rewarded after we die.
This, my friend, is storing up treasures in heaven.
If you ever wanted to know how to store up treasures in heaven, this is a good way to do it. You invest in helping the needy here. Meanwhile, the interest on that investment is piling up in heaven.
This helps me, because to be honest with you, sometimes I feel foolish helping the needy; foolish as in maybe it’s not a wise use of my limited funds. I think things like, “Boy, I could sure use that money elsewhere.”
Yet I know that God’s way is the best way. And if this is what He wants me to do, then I will. There is no better way. He provided what I have anyway, and I must use it for His purposes. And one purpose close to His heart is helping the needy.
And for us right now that looks like twin 13-year-olds who need a place to live and eat and burn off amazing amounts of energy.
So I need to keep a couple things in mind. First of all, that’s Jesus in there pouring himself up another big bowl of Honeycomb. And second, when I begin to wonder if it’s all worth it, I trust that it is – that it’s a wise investment towards treasures in heaven.
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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