Back in high school, it was a big thing if you could eat $5 of McDonald’s
food. Not from a healthy standpoint, it was considered healthy back then, but
due to what you could get for your dollar. On your limited 1972 allowance you
could get a burger, fries, and a Coke for less than 50 cents, less than the tax
on a Happy Meal of today. Big Macs for the bravest were 55 cents, add in a
shake, no word milk found here, and another 25 cents was added. And suddenly
that $5 bag of food, or bags was a challenge. Add in a friend working the
counter, or a pretty girlfriend who would go in and order for you, the price
went down, the value went up, and sometimes eating a dollar’s worth was
filling. But figure in the days of 25 cent gas, 49 cent 45 record singles, and
nickel candies, it was the best of times. But still we had a few or knew of a
few who took the challenge, I never did, $5 was a lot of money, over two hours
of work at my night job at Sears, and I wasn’t going to waste it all on food,
when I could on girls and motorcycles, or the other way around. But the fast
food industry gave rise to many inventions and innovations, not the last among
them the franchising of McDonalds, the ultimate sale of a milk shake machine
salesman.
Ray Kroc saw the business that the McDonald brothers were doing, and
eventually bought them out. And they were the ones who thought they got the
deal, a million dollars was big money in the fifties. But Ray had a franchise
idea, and sold it based on having your own business, by being independent, he
sold the idea they were in business for themselves, but not in business by
themselves, and we can see the idea worked,a s franchising today is the most
popular form of entrepreneurialism found in America. But with the restaurant
came the food, and also the packaging, and more new ideas were born out of
necessity.
Paper straws, for those of us old enough to remember them, were considered
a big deal 120 years ago, they had no flavor compared to the rice paper you
sucked your Coca Cola with at the local pharmacy counter. Plastic would come
later. White Castle in 1932 formed its own company for their own logo on hats
and napkins. The mid–fifties brought us french fry bags with a logo, sizes big
enough to take your family’s meal home in, and the Colonel brought us the bucket
in 1957. Those cardboard trays we use today were made for Chinese food
originally, where were you in ‘62 when they were invented? Did you know the Fun
Meal at Burger King preceded the Happy Meal, and was the first packaged meal for
kids? Have it your way...add the spill proof lid from the eighties, short lived
polystyrene containers from the nineties, the paper wrap for your latte, and the
packaging was almost as important as what it wrapped or held. All it takes is a
problem to be solved, and fertile minds will find a way to solve it. With only
ourselves standing in the way of success, or failure.
But it was Ray Kroc who saw his fast food on a large scale, and others
would follow. But fast food must be fast to make any money, aka profit, and
soon heat lamps, premade burgers, and hot apple pies were ready for the asking.
I worked for Coca Cola when self serve fountain drinks were introduced, remember
the days of ordering a Coke with no ice? A hard sell at first to retailers, but
sales showed when given a cup and ice, we added more ourselves, and their
profits soared. Gladly that doesn’t work with fries and burgers. But Ray’s
idea of being in business for themselves, but not by themselves was a winner,
and not a new idea, one we find in the Bible. Jesus was big on freedom from
religion, the Mosaic laws the priests had to live under were a huge burden,
every law gave you a chance to break it and sin. When we find freedom in the
spirit, we no longer wish to do the things we once did, we see the sin in them,
and we change, we still can but we don’t want to. We have the freedom in the
spirit of being an individual in Christ, not bound by laws but by his spirit,
and of becoming part of the family, his church. He makes it personal, and as
important as the church is, each one of us has value in his own eyes. So much
that just you and his spirit make church, and wherever two or more are gathered,
he is among you. You are never alone for his spirit never leaves you. Free to
make the decisions you want, but with a loving God who stands with you. If only
denominations could understand it is not about them but Jesus, the franchising
of their belief system would explode, think of that crusade, based on growing
people in Christ rather than growing churches by attendance?
Now all men and women share a common heritage called sin, and no one is
exempt from it. And Jesus offers forgiveness and salvation to all. Yet we find
the Jewish people originally rejected him and many still do today. But Jesus
came to save the lost, including the Gentiles. And when the Jews saw them
accepting a savior, they became jealous and many were saved. It wasn’t fair for
their savior to reach out to others, even if they didn’t believe who Jesus was.
It had nothing to do with intelligence, the Jews are among the smartest on the
planet, or lack of religion, for they are still very religious to this day. It
came down to a decision of the heart, of who Jesus is, was he who he said he
was, or was he not what they were looking for? Very simply put, the most
childish 4 year old is smarter than the most highly educated person if he
accepts Christ. He has all the knowledge and freedom of the universe behind
him, with the spirit giving him words when needed. Some may study to be
approved, but you cannot study to be saved, it is only through Jesus Christ and
his spirit. And what the spirit shows you can always be backed up in scripture,
not the other way around. The packaging of fast food was important, but with no
product you have nothing to wrap, and without the gospel, you have nothing to
offer as salvation. You may have a stylish Bible, bumper stickers and t-shirts
to match, even attend church and Bible study, but without the word written on
your heart, you are an empty package. And Jesus is the word...and is always
with us.
So you can live your life in Christ under a heat lamp, or you can be fresh
and ready in the spirit. Those burgers and fries look appealing under the heat
lamp, but I like mine fresh. Like my relationship with God. Not precooked, or
even wrapped pretty. Sometimes I want a Happy Meal, sometimes a bucket won’t
do. Sometimes I need to be supersized, other times I don’t want fries with
that. But in Christ every time I come empty, I leave full. For like fast food,
the most basic of all food groups, the gospel is still the simplest way to know
Jesus. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. For yourself but never by
yourself. Don’t fall for a fast food messiah, the gospel is still the best meal
available, simple and filling and affordable. Go beyond the packaging and look
for the product, and like we did as kids, use two straws at once. “Mom can I
have another?” Words you never hear after meeting Jesus, and special orders
don’t upset him. You are that special.
Think of what you do can with all the change left from your spiritual
dollar. The gospel, the most basic of all food groups, over 6 billion served!
And counting...
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com