Tag Archives: Food

The Dispassionate Objective of Death

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I watch men live.  What am I seeing as I watch us?  I see men prosper in the way of man.

They work to gather food, shelter, prosperity of social standing, and some semblance of “worth”.  They create some form of religion for themselves, individually and corporate.  But do I see them prosper against death?  No.  I see death approach them regardless their toil.

Death has no regard for the diligent work they have done.  Death, not only has no respect for the things of man’s toil, it has no ability to recognize anything but demise.

Rust does not make any apology to metal as it reduces it back to the place from which it was taken.  And the flakes of dust rust causes, fall back to the earth without the slightest acknowledgment of metal’s history or accomplishment.  As it is with rust, so it is with death.  As it is with wickedness, so it is with the best “righteousness” of man’s intent.

Do you think you have become something because you have learned to prosper in the ways of man?  Frankly, you have no more right to consider your prosperity as “something”, any more than death recognizes any righteousness within you.

If you want to be something, appeal to the Holy One, Jesus The Christ of the Living God.  Only in Him will you find any lasting profit.  For He alone has hold of the two keys; the key of Life, and the key of Death.  Only in Jesus will you find direction to do and desire eternally good things.  Without Him, you can’t even read the Bible with any effective impact toward righteousness.

He has spoken a singular truth among us: “Without me you can do nothing”.  The longer I live, and the longer I witness the “doings” of man, the more vibrant the truth of that saying becomes.

Seek Him and learn what fullness of that saying you can.  Only then will you begin to do more than simply provide sustenance until death comes to claim what is rightfully his.  The fullness of what I am saying cannot be understood without His presence.

The Wasting

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The man who sits and does nothing will surely waste away.  Exercise and learning are necessary parts of our body and mind.  All kinds of diseases and ineptitude come because the man does nothing with his body or mind.

As it is with the body, so it is with the soul.  The soul that is not fed on truth, will surely waste away.  But to whatever extent the soul is fed truth there is a strength that comes.  To whatever extent we listen to the living God in Christ Jesus we become stronger.

A level of righteousness does appear.  A level of ability to restrain sin does appear.  A level of vibrant prayer does appear.  And faith blossoms, if it is continually watered by the Holy Word of God.

Feed the body on wasteful living and it will become useless.  Feed the soul on wasteful lies, and it will become useless.

These are the rules of life that cannot be broken without consequence.

By His Grace

We Know We Know.

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If I say, “I know what is true”, you will ask, “Then why don’t you do it?”  What am I like?  I am like a man who needs to resupply his food.  He knows where the store is.  He has a car outside.  He knows full well how to start the car, drive the roads, park, and shop.  But he sits in his chair hungry and desiring.

 

The statement is true.  He knows how to get food and has the money and means to accomplish what he needs done.  But he chooses folly instead.  This is a truth about all men, isn’t it?  Folly attends our waking hours like some kind of black mold.

 

Your question is fully warranted.  But we must realize something here.  Asking “Then why don’t you do it?”, shows that you too know that it should be done.  We are all at fault for not doing what we KNOW needs done.

Unsure Studebaker Desiring Other Plans

Unsure Studebaker Desiring Other Plans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

pitiful, ain’t it?

“To StayGo Please.”

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A pair of In-N-Out cheeseburgers.

A pair of In-N-Out cheeseburgers. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Standing in line at a fast food place, a person considers what they want to eat.  When it is their turn to render their order they are asked if they want this order to go or to eat in.  For most of us this is a no brainer.  But I confess that sometimes I have to think it through.  “Do I have time to just sit here in the noise and prying eyes to eat this?”  I rarely sit at a table to eat.  Usually I brave the spilled drink and dripping catsup behind the wheel of my car.  Somehow the meal tastes better if I sit in the car (alone).

An object lesson is about to unfold here.

Christians go to the Lord to appropriate a certain peace from being near the Prince of Peace.  Much like ordering a meal, we encounter the Lord to gain what we don’t have.  We spend a few coins of faith and receive a bounty of peace on our plate.  With a good sized drink of hope, we walk away from the “counter” of prayer to live our lives.

There are three kinds of “eaters” in this parade of prayer.  There are those who will sit near the place of “order”, eat what they have been given, enjoy the company of others, soak in the ambiance of the place, then go out into the world to accomplish what that “meal” dictates is true and good.  They are in the presence of that “Great Cloud of Witnesses”.  And they love their company.

There are those who make the order “to go”.  They cast up words to the Lord just like you would order a meal at a fast food place.  Once they get what they wanted they grab the bag and head for the door.  They’re so busy that, even as they eat it, they hardly notice the flavor.  To them this meal of peace and hope is just a function of their busy lives.  Though they are fed, to them it’s just an ordinary meal.  Somehow they have missed the fellowship aspect of prayer.  And they’re not putting themselves in a position to encounter it.

Then we have a very curious group.  I suspect there are far more of this last group than the other two.  They ask and receive just like the others.   But they differ because they are a mix of  “stay and go”.  They order to stay.  So they get the tray and all its fixings.  They sit for a moment, take a bite and a sip.  Then they grab their stuff and head for the door.

These people know the place was prepared to give comfort and joy to those who purchase here.  They feel compelled to listen to the beautiful music.  They let their bodies enjoy the soft seats, clean tables, beautiful lighting, and the aroma of joy this place provides.  But they don’t feel worthy to remain.  It’s kind of like they don’t really belong here, yet they know they should.

They are caught between accepted and rejected.  And their lives are filled with a curious internal war.  They believe what the Lord has said regarding His forgiveness.  But they are so filled with sinful tendencies that they have a seriously hard time associating that promise to themselves.   Bottom line, it is a certain love for sin that causes this turmoil.  But there is a certain love for the things of the Lord too.  There’s no need to judge them.  They do that to themselves all day long.  And, in the end, God will determine their standing.  I sense it will go well for them.  But there are questions, aren’t there.

I would love to be of that first group.  I loathe being of the second.  Yet I sure enough find myself part of the third.  I guess we all encounter the Lord of Peace as we do.  We work hard on remaining in His presence while we eat what He provides.  And who knows, He might even come around the corner while we’re there and sit with us a while.  Those who leave stand no chance of that happening.  Perhaps this is what the third group is looking for.  “Maybe if I sit here I’ll catch a glimpse of He who provides.  Maybe He will smile at me.  Maybe He would even come and sit with me.  I’m just not absolutely sure He loves me.”  Isn’t this what goes through the mind of most Christians?

How good it would be if we all just sat to enjoy what He has provided.  But this isn’t the usual manner of faith in this world, is it.

The Banquet is Prepared

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A banquet setup.

A banquet setup. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I got the list from He who is.  The ingredients were applied together and the baking was done.  Dishes were set on the largest table I could make.  And the meal was dished out for anyone who was hungry.  I went to the door and opened it so that all might see that the invitation was extended.  Then I sat to wait.

I watched them pass by.  A glance here and there said that they knew the meal was ready.  But no fee turned my way.  Late in the day a man stepped up to the door and made a comment on the work that had been done.  “I just stopped by to tell you that I noticed your meal.”  I invited him in to sit and eat his fill.  “No thanks.”  He replied.  “I have this bag of sweets that will keep me well enough.  But I stopped by to tell you that what you have prepared smells ‘good’.”

He left and I pondered what “good” might mean.  Then it dawned on me that these people had no interest in the meal from heaven.  They had all they wanted in the desires of their hearts.