"Please Pass Me Your Pie"

It seems like about once a year now, a hot-selling writer named Bob Woodward comes out with a new book. As half of the famous Woodward and Bernstein team that broke the Watergate scandal, he seems to have a knack for getting the inside scoop, the hidden details that escape the attention of others.

One of his most recent books, entitled The Choice, chronicles the early parts of the 1996 presidential race, right up to the point where the Republicans chose Bob Dole and the Democrats, of course, stayed with the Clinton-Gore ticket. How did Dole, at his age, manage to fend off Lamar Alexander and Phil Gramm and Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes and all the others? What about the Colin Powell factor — why didn't he run? And he certainly has all the juicy details on the Democrats as well.

And on that side of the aisle, a certain element was a rather key factor. That certain element was the shadowy figure of Dick Morris. Now that the election is over, most of America knows about his own sex scandal and some of the sordid headlines from 1996. But Woodward reveals how this political operative schemed and worked to exert more and more and more influence on the President of the United States. He formulated policy — what he called the scheme of "triangulation." He established fund-raising goals and plans. He faxed ideas up to the President when he was 35,000 feet up in the sky on Air Force One. He even wrote many of Bill Clinton's speeches for him.

Well, you can understand that the rest of the White House staff didn't think much of this steamrolling tank which was taking over all of their jobs. So they quickly worked to minimize the influence of Mr. Dick Morris, get him cut off from having close access to the Oval Office. But this ambitious operative just kept on grabbing turf for himself, carving away out of other people's pies. If an agency got him officially banned, he quietly established what were called "back channels." He found ways to get his proposed TV spots and suggested "State of the Union" addresses smuggled into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and onto President Clinton's desk.

Now, is there anything wrong with such ambition? Here's a man who kind of wanted to rule the world, and he'd step on as many toes as he had to. This week we're studying a certain Bible parable told by Jesus Christ, where a rich businessman gave trust sums to three of his associates, and then left them to their own devices. How would they do with their allotments of five million bucks, two million, and one? And as we've explored what the Word of God says about the three men, we find the master congratulating the ambitious ones. Here's the verbatim transcript, recorded by the secret taping device in the Oval Office, maybe:

"After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness."

The exact same line is repeated with Investor #2. He'd doubled his portfolio as well, and received the same words of praise and commendation.

"Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put YOU in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness."

So are these two men a couple of first-century Dick Morrises? Aggressive, power-driven, back-biting and back-channeling, bruising egos in order to score big on the stock market? And is there anything wrong with wanting to enlarge your slice of the pie?

Well, friend, there are several things we could say about that. First of all, the Bible clearly teaches in this story that God Himself acknowledges and even intends the disparity of gifts in the Church. It was God who gave out the five, the two, and the one talent in this story. One Bible commentary shared this insight in discussing the Matthew 25 parable:

The amount entrusted to each servant was no more than, in the estimation of his master, he could handle wisely; at the same time it was sufficient to challenge his ingenuity and skill and thus provide him with an opportunity to gain experience."

So even in God's system of government, there's room for a man or woman to rise up to become Secretary of State, or for a person to hold down two cabinet posts, as Henry Kissinger used to do. Some preachers are given authority over a huge conference or diocese, while another man or woman has a little country church with eighteen people in it. Both are precious to God, and both are rewarded if they do their best with the circumstances and talents entrusted to them. And certainly both are encouraged to seek more influence and a wider scope of service if their motivation is right.

In his excellent book, Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Dr. Jack Deere shares four suggestions regarding the topic of spiritual gifts or talents. First, we should pray for such gifts. The Bible teaches that in First Corinthians 12. We should attempt to regularly use the gifts that we do have. Of course, that's the very point made in this parable of the three servants. If you have five, use five. If you have two, use two. If you have one, for sure don't go out in the woods and bury the one. Number three suggestion: we should study the gifts, the doctrine of spiritual gifts. We should study how to use our gifts more effectively. I imagine the two good servants in this story pored over all kinds of manuals and investment forms; they were on the Internet every day, tracking the market, looking for tips. They got the Charles Schwab Newsletter. They made themselves experts on fund management. And then Deere's fourth suggestion: have friendships with people who are more advanced in the gifts than we are. Rub shoulders with others who are also active in working for God. Share strategies; exchange success stories; look for tips. Tell how God is blessing your efforts for Him.

But as Jack Deere makes all these suggestions, he firmly and emphatically takes all of us back to a core Bible text found here in First Corinthians 12:7. Here it is:

"Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."

Notice: "for the common good." Whatever successes come through our efforts are to be given to the Master's house. They're for the good of everyone. If one person doubles his money, everyone rejoices, because that's a success for the whole family. This is why the one servant was so wrong when he said to the boss: "I was afraid you'd rip off the profits I'D made." And secondly, this tells us what kind of aggressiveness is appropriate as we seek to serve. Eagerness and ambition and zeal and horizon-expanding are all good traits, friend, as long as we are serving the Master and His kingdom. As long as we are working for the common good. Even Dick Morris initiatives are all right as long as they are for the good and the uplifting of America and not just the good of Dick Morris.

Speaking of politics makes us think of another man who often sat in the Oval Office and sent faxes to many presidents. Billy Graham certainly has to be a man we would think belongs in the "five talent" club. Look how God has blessed him! Many talents were bestowed upon this Southern Baptist preacher, and God also allowed many breaks to come his direction.

And . . . he has been ambitious in his career. It takes a bit of boldness to start a huge soulwinning team and then allow it to have this name: the BGEA — Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Without a doubt, there have been those who criticized the size and scope of his operations, suggesting that he had too much power and influence in God's kitchen cabinet.

And yet here's a line from the very first page of the preface to his autobiography, Just As I Am:

"If anything has been accomplished through my life, it has been solely God's doing, not mine, and He — not I — must get the credit."

In fact, on the jacket cover of his book comes this additional disclaimer:

"I have often said that the first thing I am going to do when I get to Heaven is to ask, 'Why me, Lord? Why did You choose a farmboy from North Carolina to preach to so many people, to have such a wonderful team of associates, and to have a part in what You were doing in the latter half of the twentieth century?'" And then he confesses: "I have thought about that question a great deal, but I know also that only God knows the answer."

Friend, maybe you look up at heaven every night too, and say "Why me?" Or maybe you're looking up there and saying to God, "Why NOT me?" That's okay. As long as our ambitions and our steps up the success ladder are motivated by a desire to lift Jesus higher and not ourselves.

Happy climbing.

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