JUST BOLOGNA



Do you remember ever being invited to a picnic? The one who invited you told you something like, "Bring what you want to eat and we'll furnish the tea."

Now as it happened, the day of the picnic you got home late from work. All you had to pack for your meal was just one dried up old piece of bologna and just enough mustard in the jar so that it got all over your knuckles when you tried to scoop it out of the jar—and two stale pieces of bread — the heals. S-o-o-o-o-o-o you made just a bologna sandwich, wrapped it in wax paper, put it in a brown paper bag and went to the picnic.

When it came time to eat, there you sat at the end of the table you opened the brown paper bag and took out your pitiful bologna sandwich. Now the family sitting right next to you had a real spread. The wife was a great cook and had worked all day preparing the meal. She made fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, green beans, home make rolls, sliced tomatoes, pickles, olives. To top it off were two great big homemade pecan pies —your favorite.

They arranged the whole meal right beside you, and there you were with your bologna sandwich. But they smiled kindly and said to you, "Why don't we put it all together?" You hesitated a bit, embarrassed, and made excuses, but they insisted. "You know, there's plenty of chicken, plenty of pie, plenty of everything. And we just love bologna sandwiches. Let's put it all together." So you did and you ended up eating like a king, even though you arrived like a pauper.

All of the sudden your mind triggered by all of this generous kindness reflects on what Christ Jesus has granted you at His eternal table. “I now grant you the right to eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom.” (Luke 22:29-30)

When you think of how little you have to bring and how much God offers and that he invites you to share with him, you should be shouting from the top of the picnic table! You do not have enough love, or faith, or grace, or mercy or wisdom. But God does. He has all those things in abundance, and he says, "Let's just put it all together. Everything that I possess is available to you, and everything that I am and can be I will be to you."


You see, it's not that God needs your bologna sandwich; it's that you need his everything.

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