Driving the Point Home

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,
(Titus 2:7 – ESV)

I used to deliver pizza, and you know what, I loved it. I never have looked down on those who do this job. Look, someone has to do it, and if you say “no they don’t”, well there are other jobs you could name that many people don’t want to do but they have to get done, like being a garbage man. All honest work has dignity and no child of God should treat another who is doing honest work with any less dignity than another who is doing something “more important”. None of our work in the Lord, and all of it is in the Lord if WE are in the Lord, none of this is in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).

It is not the work that makes it worthy of you it is you who brings dignity to the work and makes it worthy of your calling as a child of God. You are teaching others by your example, your life lives out your doctrine, whether you are working one of these jobs or you are talking about others who hold these jobs. Let me tell you that as a Christian you have no right to look down on the server at the restaurant you are eating at, and if you in your heart see it as “lesser” work, you are sinning.

Anyway, the funny thing is, before I was a pastor, I had actually been the owner of several pizza shops. However, in the meantime between owning the pizza shops and being a pastor, I was back in school learning about theology, and I was delivering pizza to help make ends meet.

Imagine, going from the owner to the driver. I was the owner in the big city, I worked for the company as a franchise rep, and I had stores all over the state, but now I was doing “lesser work”. Worse yet, I had become the driver back in the town I grew up in. Imagine what it was like to ring the doorbell, and have someone you went to school with (who was not an honor grad, popular, athletic and such as you were, but now makes a six figure salary) say "oh, so this is what you're doing now" after having been the hotshot growing up.

After giving out the "I'm getting my Masters, I'm an associate pastor" spiel 100 times, I finally realized that God was teaching me humility, and I loved every minute of it after that, and learned as much there about the practical outworking of my theology (no kidding) as I did on my thesis.

Let me give you a humorous example of what I am talking about.

We had this customer who never, ever tipped, was rude, took minutes to answer the door, and I always seemed to get her. Well, one night I got the order, went to the door, and after I knocked, I noticed a penny on the ground. Immediately, I went into this song and dance about how she was going to tip me now no matter what 'cause God gave me a penny! I literally was dancing around, making up a ridiculous song in my head about it, and feeling all good, and then she came to the door, several minutes later.

I told her the total...12.79...she started handing me the lumps of change like she always did...as I counted, I thought to myself, "too bad lady, 'cause you are tipping me whether you like it or not, ha ha!"

Suddenly the money was all counted, and.....she had 12.78! She asked if it was alright that she was missing "just a penny". I am no overt mystic, but I am telling you I could hear God laughing as loud as thunder during a storm! I felt like one of those cartoons whose head turns into a "donkey", and then back again.

Then I laughed too; I learned something very valuable that night.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©