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“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8 NIV)
My granddaughters enjoy baking. As they age, I am teaching them how to read and follow a recipe. They not only need to understand what ingredients to use, but how to read the measurements and follow the method of mixing. Knowing and setting the oven temperature and time is vital, as is choosing the right container or tray to use for baking.
As we prepare and bake the recipe, the girls comment on how good it smells. The ultimate test of its goodness however, is only proven when it is finally tasted. Unfortunately, two out of three of us, are disaccharide intolerant. This means we can understand, follow and complete a recipe, but the tasting is out of bounds if the product contains any type of double sugar known as sucrose.
Just as my one granddaughter and I have to miss out on this final tasting step, when it comes to baking, as Christians we can also miss out on tasting, on a regular basis, and seeing that the Lord is good. We may have followed God’s recipe for salvation by believing and accepting Christ into our lives. We may be regular church attenders. Reading our bibles and attending Bible studies or prayer meetings may also be spiritual habits. Never-the-less if we miss one vital step, we may only taste the Lord’s true goodness on an irregular basis: the step of trusting God and his Word enough to taste it by putting it into daily practice. We may know God’s word by memory. We may enjoy reading it, but it is only in the practical application of doing it, that we taste the truth, goodness and wisdom within it.
But I do follow it you may say. I do put it into practice and indeed we may, to a certain extent, but let me ask some questions, which I also ask of myself. How often do I worry? Do I trust God enough to tithe and give generously above tithing? Do I go and talk to the person who has wronged me or talk about them? Do I do good to those who wrong me or only to those who do good to me? Do I unwittingly choose to only trust and put into practice certain spiritual teachings?
In light of these questions, which are only a few of the ones we could ask of ourselves, I am forced to reconsider just how much I am really tasting and seeing the Lord’s goodness.
How about you? Where might you need to taste a little more of God’s goodness, by putting all of his Word into practical daily action?
Prayer: Father God, thank you that as we apply the truth of your Word to our daily lives, we can indeed taste and know how good you really are, all the time. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Lynne Phipps
Tawatinaw, Alberta, Canada
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