Faithfulness & Increase
Matthew 25:21
His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
I was at a local business that I frequent, when some revelation about stewardship came to me. See, God will teach you if you are willing to listen, regardless of where you are. I’ve learned over the years that people often act differently about something when they have a personal stake in it. That said, this story is about napkins.
I am known to hoard drive-thru napkins in my glovebox. I have always loved that when you go through a drive-thru the employee, if they haven’t been absent minded, will give you a stack of them. I like to save these napkins because someone is always spilling something, needs to clean up some mess, or sometimes we have absent minded drive-thru attendants and get none, when we need them. The thing is, often employees have no thought about the cost of waste. To them they are just an expendable and cheap commodity. I’d be willing to bet that if McDonald’s as a corporation released what it spends on just napkins or straws in a year, we’d all be surprised.
As I go to this shop I am often waited on by the owner, as it is a small business. There is something I have always noticed though, no stacks of napkins. In fact, you often have to ask and a stack is rarely offered. I’m sure that napkins are not his top priority but one thing I do know (and rightfully so, I might add), the bottom line is.
I am not advocating for a poverty mentality nor am I looking down on this business man for his frugalness (You can have an opinion without being opinionated). I am simply making an observation that deserves contemplation. This is the ins and outs of stewardship. The Bible states over and over the importance of faithfulness in what isn’t yours.
Good stewardship is ultimately is an act of love. 1 Corinthians 13:5 states two acts of love that I am so often reminded of, even in regards to napkins. Love isn’t rude and love does not seek its own. In other words, it looks after the interests of others. It glorifies God when we care about things that do not affect us directly. We don’t need to feel love just as we do not have to feel saved. We just act on them.
We need to ask ourselves, do we look after the interests of others or do we only seek our own. And I mean others that we have no natural affection towards. Jesus said it’s easy to love your own (Matthew 5:46-47), there are no brownie points for that. What would happen though if we chose to love the unlovable? I can tell you, I’m sure glad that He did.
Be Blessed,
Pastor Jeff
