A Lesson on Gratefulness

 

A young labourer came to a restaurant one evening to have a meal. The owner engaged him in a conversation and found out that he was saving to bring his family to the city so they could get a chance at a better life. He had an aged mother, a wife and two young sons who he hoped to give a good education so they could have a more decent life. He had just arrived at the city and found some menial work at a scrap metal site down the road. It was going to be his only meal of the day and he could only spend a few cents.

The owner was impressed with his hard work and diligence, and his family values. He encouraged the labourer and wrapped his meal for him. He took his order personally and told him that it would cost him 50 cents.

Several years went by and the labourer stopped at the restaurant every evening to get his one meal of the day and chat with the restaurant owner who always encouraged him and asked about his aged mother, his wife and young sons, and how his plans were going.

Finally, the labourer came by one evening with a happy smile on his face. He had bought a modest house in a good neighbourhood with a good school for his boys and he had just sent for his family to join him. 

The restaurant owner was very happy for him and congratulated him. The labourer then told him that he was in a mood to celebrate and he would be spending an entire 5 dollars on his meal that evening. The restaurant owner told him it was well-deserved, wrapped up his meal and he went on his way home.

When the labourer got home and opened up his meal pack, he was shocked to see that it was the same type of food he had been having every day for the last 6 years. He was very disappointed because he had been looking forward to a feast to celebrate his big achievement. He certainly deserved something better after scrimping on his meals all those years. He was mad at the restaurant owner and felt robbed of his money and his celebration. He felt he had been cheated by his very good friend.

He immediately went back to the restaurant to make his complaint. The restaurant owner had already left and he met one of the staff with whom he was quite familiar.

"Say, John, I think you guys gave me the wrong meal pack today. You see, I got this same type of meal every day for 50 cents but today I am celebrating and decided to spend 5 whole dollars at your restaurant. But I was cheated and got just the same meal as every other day!"

"Well, sir, this is our most expensive meal and it costs 5 dollars!"

It suddenly dawned on the labourer that he had not been cheated at all by his friend. In fact, the restaurant owner had been giving him their best meal which cost 5 dollars for 50 cents and for 6 long years! He felt very ashamed of himself for thinking that his good friend had cheated him.

"It's all a misunderstanding then," he said and turned to leave quickly to hide the tears in his eyes.

"One minute, sir," said the staff. "My boss said you are going to come back and that I am to give you this bag."

When the labourer opened the bag, he found all the 50 cents he had ever spent at this restaurant. Unable to hold back the tear now, he sat down on a bench and wept quite unashamedly.

√ He had judged too quickly.

√ He'd felt entitled and a little prideful because of his sense of arrival.

√ He had repaid kindness with suspicion and anger.

√ He had failed to give proper thanks where it was due.

Why?

Because he was not able to see or recognise the hand that was behind the scene helping him all this time! 

Friends, sometimes because we don't yet have a car, a house and some fine things in life, we fail to recognise and appreciate the simple things that God has blessed us daily. And so we become ungrateful and unappreciative and even to a point of being prejudiced upon. We feel that we are entitled to all these good things and we storm to God and file a complaint. When the Lord allows us to have a little achievement in life, we become all bloated up with pride. And then we start to make more demands from God.

But does God condemn us? Is He mad at us? Does He take back everything because of our foolishness? He does not because He understands how limited we are in our spirit.

Like the owner of the restaurant, God is always giving us His very best. During difficult times, He encourages us. During the time, we stumble and fall, He picks us up. Even when we refuse to acknowledge or appreciate His goodness and kindness, He never stops being gracious and kind to us. We may continue to complain and fret but He is patient to listen. In fact, He keeps His storehouse of blessings open for us and gives us even more than we ever deserve.

At this moment, let us give thanks to the Lord and adopt a heart of gratitude by counting all our blessings.

Cast Your Bread Upon The Waters – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The homeless man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before.

"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away."

The woman's smile became even broader.

"Leave me alone," he growled.

To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling – her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she asked.

Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone."

Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked.

"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"

The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?" 

"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."

"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!" 

Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.."

"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it."

Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.

The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. "What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this, is this man in trouble?" 

"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered.

"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."

Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."

The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"

"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."

"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"

"What business is that of yours?"

"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, President and CEO of the company."

The manager  was shocked, "Oh..." 

The woman smiled again, "I thought that might make a difference."

She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a laugh. "Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"

"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."

"Then perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"

"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice." 

The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer."

The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his place," he said.

"That was not my intent... Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this."

She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"

Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes. "I think so -- I mean you do look familiar."

"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."

"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. 

"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."

Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."

"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over and saw you put the price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything would be all right."

"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.

"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered."

She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."

There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you?" he asked.

"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. He led me to you."

Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways.

"Thank you for all your help, officer," she said.

"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And ... And thank you for the coffee."

Let Me Tell You How I Save Myself!

The first thing we need to understand is we cannot save ourselves. Imagine being on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and falling overboard. Because no one saw you fall in, the ship continues toward its destination, leaving you hopelessly stranded.  

After treading water for several hours, you find yourself surrounded by sharks. You face certain death at any moment. Exhausted from trying to stay afloat, you slip underwater and begin to drown. Somehow, you force your way to the surface for one more gasp of air.

As you are about to go under for the last time, a helicopter appears miraculously out of nowhere. The rescue squad inside the helicopter throws out a rope and lassos your hand, pulling you out of the water just seconds before the sharks move in for the kill. The helicopter flies you back to shore, where you receive treatment in the hospital.

After you recover, you begin to brag about how you saved yourself.  "I'm really proud of my hand. This hand saved me. Let me tell you how I found the helicopter in the middle of the ocean...."

           

Just like we can't save ourselves if we were stranded in the Atlantic, we are also helpless to save ourselves from hell. God doesn't want our help, either.  Because Jesus does all of the saving, we have no right to brag about anything we have done.  

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

(Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 221)

Ironside's Dog

H.A. Ironside had an experience with a customer in a crowded restaurant. Just as Ironside was about to begin his meal, a man approached and asked if he could join him at his table. Ironside invited his to have a seat.

Then, as was his custom, Ironside bowed his head in prayer. 

When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, "Do you have a headache?" 

Ironside replied, "No, I don't." 

The other man asked, "Well, is there something wrong with your food?" 

Ironside replied, "No, I was simply thanking God as I always do before I eat." 

The man said, "Oh, you're one of those, are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brow and I don't have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just start right in!" 

Ironside said, "Yes, you're just like my dog. That's what he does too".

The Power of Grace

One of my favorite stories is Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. It centers on the life of a man called Jean Valjean, who was imprisoned during the French revolution for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. He served 19 years of hard labor and became bitter and angry toward both society and God. 

After his release from prison, Valjean wandered for days begging for food and shelter but received nothing but denials from graceless people who did not want to help a convict. 

Finally, the weary and hungry Valjean arrived at the door of a poor bishop named, Monseigneur Myriel. The bishop invited him in and offered him a hot meal and a warm bed. At the dinner table Valjean bitterly explained his situation but then bragged that with food in his stomach and a night’s sleep in a real bed he would become a new man. 

Instead that night after everyone else was asleep, he decided to rob his gracious host. Valjean was caught by the police with the loots. The police brought him back to the Bishop. However, to Valjean's surprise, the Bishop told the police that the loots were his gifts. To prove his point, the Bishop added two precious candlesticks to his 'gifts'. The thief was so shocked by the Bishop's kindness and mercy that he decided to turn over a new leaf.

To a very relieved Valjean, the Bishop admonished, “Jean Valjean, don’t forget... don’t ever forget. You’ve promised to become a new man. Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil...With this silver I’ve bought your soul. I’ve ransomed you from fear and hatred.”

Well, for the rest of his life Jean Valjean was driven by the truth of that challenge. Because of his experience of the Bishop’s grace, Jean Valjean made his entire life an act of love. He was driven to become an honest laborer and eventually saved enough to buy a factory that provided gainful employment for an entire town...where he was so famous for his generosity and grace that they forced him to become mayor. 

Grace drove him to provide shelter for a dying prostitute and then to devote himself to raising her little girl, Cosette, as his own daughter. Later he faced peril to save the man who loved Cosette, even though he knew it meant returning to prison. 

In short, Valjean’s experience of grace MOTIVATED him to live it. 

One of the reasons I believe Hugo’s story is so much-loved — is the fact that ours is a GRACE-needing world. People hunger for God’s grace. So they are drawn to this story about grace as a moth is drawn out of the darkness toward the light.

Adapted from a sermon by Rev. Mark Adam, Redland Baptist Church

God’s Unmerited Favor

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is wage. 

When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. 

When a person receives appropriate recognition for his long service or high achievements, that is an award. 

But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award-yet receives such a gift anyway-that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. This is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God. 

Clip-Art Features for Newsletters, G.W. Knight, p. 53

Are You Thankful For Who You Are?

In a class assignment, one student received special mention for his essay. The whole class was to write, "What I am thankful for on Thanksgiving". This one student wrote that he was thankful that he was not a turkey, especially during the Thanksgiving season.

Even though the student had nothing to do with his own creation, he could still thank God for creating him the way he was. 

Are you happy with who you are today? Have you thank God that He has created you with all the talents and gifts?