Can you imagine what you would do, if you were invited to a dinner and when you sat down at the table, it was a smorgasborg of scraps….it was like someone had done some dumpster diving and raided the restaurant dumpsters to set the table….(3 say YUCK, 3 times) And I’m sure You would swear off of smorgasborg scrap dinners for the rest of your life, and seriously wonder about your friend’s mental condition!
But can you think of how God must feel when He has done all He has done and we settle for scraps!!!
You’ve heard that it is no secret what God can do, but have you heard that it is no secret what God can’t do…. Or let me put it this way…. What is it that is impossible for God…..(anyone?) The answer to the question is….. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO DO NOTHING!!!!
If He brought you to this place in this time, then believe me, He didn’t bring you here at this time in your life, to just do nothing about it…. Or give you scraps!
The song “He didn’t bring us this far to leave us”, says … “There are some promises in a letter, written a long, long time ago, they're not getting older, they're getting better, because He still wants us to know. He didn’t bring us this far to leave us, He didn’t teach us to swim to let us drown, He didn’t build His home in us to move away, He didn’t pick us up to let us down……
In the book of Ruth, we are told that Ruth’s mother in law, Naomi has become a widow, and her son who is Ruth’s husband has also died. Naomi decides to head back to the home of her ancestors and Ruth comes along… they have used all their supplies, the frig is bare and the pantry is empty…. But it’s harvest time and the Jewish law states that widows, orphans and the homeless are allowed to glean the fields after the harvesters have gone through… Actually they deliberately leave the corners of the field and clumps of wheat that can be gathered up…. But God is working in the midst of all of this, because it’s impossible for God to do nothing! Some would say that it was by chance or accident or a stroke of luck that Ruth ends up in Boaz’s field, but there is no luck or chance to this story…. God is making a generational connection, that is far more reaching in it’s scope than anyone could possibly see at the moment….
Boaz shows up in the story, on the day that Naomi isn’t with her and “Bo” has given Ruth a second and a third glance! “Bo” is a wealthy man and God has decided to make a connection here, which will effect generations to come…. So while Ruth and Naomi are eating scraps, God is setting up something greater than they could have dreamed. Don’t despise the scraps, but don’t settle for scraps as the way it has to be!!!
Scraps are usually God’s trail of breadcrumbs to His riches if you’re willing to let it be your guide and not your final destination! The scraps you’re eating now, will be your testimony of God’s faithfulness and miracle power later…. Don’t despise the scraps, but don’t settle for them either!
A servant went to his master and said, "I have served you faithfully for ten years. Now I have a wish: give me something to eat which will never end." His master said, "Here, have some chewing gum." Sometimes eating scraps is like chewing old chewing gum…. The flavor is gone, your jaws hurt, but you keep on chewing, when God wants to give you something much better…..
Psalms 31:15 says “Our times are in His hands” and Isaiah 49:16 tells us we are “engraven on the palms of his hand” and John 10:28 says that “nothing can snatch us out of His hand”. I also see that in Psalms 37:23 He is “ordering our steps” and guides us through life. Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Our life is not a random string of events, but thank the Lord, we have a Master designer working behind the scenes coordinating and planning things that we could never accomplish on our own.
While Boaz is making Google eyes at Ruth, God is planning for them to be in the ancestral line of His Son Jesus, as He connects the dots and lays the groundwork for a thousand generations!!!
I remember that when we packed everything we owned in a van and headed for Florida, we would not have imagined we would end up in Hialeah, at the church of the pastor who happened to be the Presbyter over the Florida Keys, who also happened to ask us after we had worked with him for a year…. If we would be interested in the church in Key West…. I had not thought it but God was planning it….He saw that it would be part of the pastoral journey of ourselves, our kids, our grandkids and our great grand kids….. and I don’t believe it’s over yet!!!
Friends, you need to understand that God’s fingerprints are everywhere on your life! You never know why you meet the people you meet, and the circumstances happen the way they do. But believe me, God is up to something much bigger, and more important than you could ever imagine!
Pastor V. Bingham, was the founder of the Sudan Interior Missions. He was once seriously injured in an automobile accident. He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. The following day, when he regained consciousness, he asked the doctor what he was doing there. The doctor said, "Don't try to talk now, just rest, reverend, You have been in a serious accident." Bingham shouted out…. "Accident, what Accident!....There are no accidents in the life of a Christian. God is up to something… This is just a fingerprint of the Father’s mysterious, perfect leading."
There’s a poem that asks the question “WHAT IF GOD EVER WENT ON STRIKE”
How is it that God above, Has never gone on strike, Because He surely wasn’t treated fair, and there were things He didn't like. If only once He'd given up, And said, 'That's it, I'm through! I've had enough of those on earth, So this is what I'll do. I'll give my orders to the sun – 'Cut the light and heat supply!' And to the moon - 'no longer shine, and empty the ocean dry.' Then just to make things really tough, And put the pressures on, 'Turn off the flow of oxygen, Till every breath is gone!' Perhaps, He would be justified, If being offended was the game. For no one has ever been abused, Or met with more disdain than God, and yet, He forgives the human race, Supplying you and me, With all the favors of His grace, and does it all for free. Men say they want a better deal, And so on strike they go. But what a raw deal we've given God, to whom all things we owe. We don't care whom we hurt, To gain the things we like. But what a mess we'd all be in, If God should go on strike!! (And I say “don’t worry bout it”)
Maybe you see your scraps as your age, you’re too young or too old…. Perhaps you see your scraps as your lack of education or training, you feel inadequate…. You may see your scraps as a lack of money or that you have too many obligations…. Perhaps your scraps are that you’re shy, or just don’t like people!!! Turn your scraps over to Jesus, whatever they are….place them in his hands… Watch what He can do with scraps….
To Isaiah he said in Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert”.
Malachi 3:10 “Bring my portion of the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, so that there shall not be room enough to even receive it”. (God is promising abundance, not scraps!!!)
You’ve got to pay attention to the right things…and not get distracted from the process, when God is up to something…. (speaking of distractions)….
A boy asked his father, "Dad, are bugs good to eat?" The dad said, "That's disgusting son. Don't talk about things like that over dinner". You should wait till dinner is finished to talk about things *…..like that… So, as the father is eating his last spoon of soup, he asks, "Now, son, what did you ask me?" "Oh, nothing," the boy says. "There was a bug in your soup, but it’s no problem now." If you allow yourself to get distracted, you may end up settling for things you don’t have to…..
If you have found yourself settling for scraps, if the Holy Spirit is letting you know deep down inside that you’re accepting less than God’s best… if you’re settling for something God is telling you is wrong for you….. if you’re going in one direction and you know in your heart God is going in another….ask yourself the following…..
1. Is there an example for me to follow for what is important?
2. Is there a sin I need to avoid or confess?
3. Is there a promise I need to claim?
4. Is there a prayer I need to repeat?
5. Is there a command I need to obey?
6. Is there a condition I need to meet?
7. Is there a scripture I need to remember?
8. Is there an error or misinterpretation I need to avoid?
9. Is there a challenge I need to face?
10. Is there a principle I need to apply?
11. Is there a habit that I need to change, start or stop?
12. Is there an attitude I need to correct?
13. Is there a truth I need to believe?
We should all ask ourselves some of the questions on the list before we put our head on our pillow at night.
There was a widow woman of Zarephath in 1Kings 17:10 who was barely surviving on scraps as she and her son were watching the oil and meal disappear daily, knowing when it was gone, they would perish. Surely they were of the belief that God had much more important things to do than concern himself with a lowly widow and her son…. But while they were eating scraps, God was preparing an overflow that would save the entire neighborhood population… They looked at what they could do with scraps, but the prophet saw what God could do with scraps….
Jesus took scraps and fed 5000 men plus women and children…. He took water and made the best wine at the wedding….. He took the jaw bone of a donkey and brought victory through the hands of Shamgar…. And He’ll take what you give Him and do what no other power can do!!!
You may feel that you’re facing a challenge with only scraps to offer to the task at hand… Scraps represent inadequacy, inability, and coming up short…. But I want to remind you that when God chose Noah, he was a basket case…. When he chose David, he chose the runt of the litter who was assigned to walk behind the sheep and step in sheep dip….. Jacob was a deceiver, Paul was a murderer, Moses was a stutterer with a bounty on his head…. The demoniac of Gadara became an evangelist…. The woman at the well brought her neighborhood to Christ… and then wonder of wonders, He chose you and me!!!! (think about that!!)
Jesus doesn’t come to be an addition to our lives, He comes to take over our lives!!!
Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
We’re not going to get a handle on what God is inviting us into all at once, but we can start right where we are…. With our little bit of oil and meal and move forward one step at a time, fully believing that God’s process will take us to more and more, little by little….
It’s like the man with the smart pig….Afarmer has his farm for sale and he is walking with a prospective buyer when they see a beautiful pig in the yard, except it has a wooden leg. The buyer asks, "Why the wooden leg?" The farmer replies, "That pig is so smart, I let it drive the kids to school."….."Great, but why the wooden leg?" (the farmer says)
"Well, That pig is so smart it could probably get a degree in horticulture and philosophy." …."Amazing! But why the bloody wooden leg?"…. And the farmer went on….”That pig actually saved my boys life several times”… The potential buyer asks, “Why the wooden leg?” (the farmer says) "Well when you have a pig that smart you don't eat it all at once!"
What the lord is inviting us to, is sometimes hard to wrap our head around all at once! But start where you are, and you’ll get there! We usually don’t make BIG CHANGES, but we make a lot of little changes that add up to a big difference over a period of time…..
"Vaya con Díos," expresses what we’re talking about here…. (it’s about the only Spanish I know, other than Guacamole) “Vaya con Dios, means “Go With God”…..The great news is that God always equips those he calls and he provides for those who are in His purposes…. Never underestimate the power of touch, when God is doing the touching. What Has God called you to do…. Do IT… GO WITH GOD!!! Then he will fulfill his purpose in you, he will equip you, he will enable you, he will protect you, he will accompany you. When Moses stood before Pharaoh, all he had was God and a rod…. But God was the great equalizer who caused Moses to be more than enough for the task he had been given.
“Vaya Con Dios”… as Moses went with God, the Red sea opened, water came from a rock, the enemy was held at bay…. “Vaya con Díos," As Joshua went with God, the sun and moon stood still until the victory was won…. “Vaya con Díos," As David went with God, Goliath lost his head, and a shepherd boy became king…. “Vaya con Díos," As the disciples went with God, fishermen became world shaking apostles and John the Revelator showed us the end of the age and the glory to come……
If all you have is a sling, sling it…. If all you have is a little oil and meal, start pouring…. If all you have is some fish and strips start giving it away….. if all you have is a rod like Moses, lift it high…. “Vaya Con Dios”….!!!! “VayaCon Dios”!!!!! ….WITH GOD, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!!
There is a powerful story that I want to close with in Matthew 15:22 “And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, (Tyre and Sidon) and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. v23 But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she cries out incessantly after us. v24 Buthe answered and said, “Am I not sent unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.
v25 Then came the woman and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. v26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. (because the Jews called the Gentiles “dogs”, they were accustomed to it) v27 And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. v28 Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is your faith: be it unto you even as you desire. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour”.
That’s the overwhelming, life transforming, matchless love of God!
I love this…. Jesus takes this woman who had come to accept that she could only eat scraps that fell from the Master’s table, and invites her to sit next to the Master, at the Master’s table! He told her, that she had settled for scraps when she could have enjoyed the banquet… This is totally overwhelming for her…. But the Lord says the same thing to all who will come to Him…. “Stop living with the “Scrap” mentality and accept My invitation to pull up a seat and enjoy the banquet!!!!! Life without regrets, Life on God’s terms not the world’s terms, or the Devil’s…
Matthew 10:7 And as you go, tell them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. v8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely you have received, freely give”.
Luke 4:18 Jesus tells us…. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, v19 To declare that this is the acceptable year of the Lord” (that no one shall be turned away)……
The Gospel means “Good News”…. And the good news is that we don’t have to wait for a scrap to fall here or thereanymore…. But we are now invited to sit at the table prepared by the Lord…. And let me tell you… if the Lord prepares a table, that table is going to be amazing! His invitation has been sent out to “Whosoever Will”… If you were invited to a free week at Disney World, all the food, all the accommodations, all expenses paid….you would figure out some way to get there, I’m sure…. The King of Kings invites us to His abundance, shouldn’t we begin to prepare for the trip!
Romans 8:31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against (or prevent) us?”
Last week we received “The Lord’s Supper”… and that observance is God’s invitation to come to the table of wholeness, the table of freedom from bondage, the table of provision and the table of peace in the midst of stress and trouble, and the table of transformation and qualification…..His invitation qualifies you!!!
We used to sing the hymn, “Come and dine, the master calleth, come and dine. You may feast at Jesus table all the time. He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine, to the hungry is calling now, Come and Dine”!!!!!
Father, thank You for Your Word again, as always. We feast on it with great joy as we receive its blessing. We’re rejoicing in its truth, in its miraculous reality, its hope filled promises, and its comforting invitation to each of us. We’re so rich because of its entrance into our lives. And we pray, Lord, for those who have not yet entered in, but who have come to say, “Lord Jesus I receive Your invitation” and like the little woman who was down to the last of her resources, we pull up a seat at the table of the Lord at Your invitation. Lord, may You grant to all of us that persistent faith that will not let go, that will seize the Kingdom, that will press through the hindrances and the barriers and lay hold of this banquet of grace which you offer. Work that work in hearts, we pray, as a witness to Your glory…..
We receive the banquet which grace freely provides today…. Jesus you welcome us for you said, “I have come that you might have life, and life more abundantly”!
