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My Two Cents
by Rev Chuck Behrens
June, 2016
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Past Articles |
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Life moves pretty fast and
with the summer here, it seems like it moves in an even faster
blink-of-the eye-quickness. Your food has to often move pretty fast
too. As in those drive-thru orders at fast food restaurants.
Now, I know the menu pretty well, and this particular day my order was
pretty predictable, including my drink, which was usually an iced tea.
I'm a fairly regular iced-tea drinker, and the tea was pretty good at this
one place because it was pre-sweetened. To me, tea without sweetener
tastes jus a little bitter, a little bland. So, being a fast food frequent
flier, I would always search for this particular fast food chain to get my
tea the way I liked it. In other parts of the country I've
discovered an unpleasant difference when I take that first drink, because
they give it to me unsweetened. I'm telling you, it isn't nearly as
good that way.
Psalm 119:104-104 of all things, has a little something to say about
Sweeteners. By the way, actually, I am a lot like iced tea. I
am more enjoyable when I've had my sweetener added. Conversely, I'm
sometimes more bitter to the taste, maybe bland when I haven't had my
sweetener.
Okay, here are the verses, "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter
than honey to my mouth! I gain understanding from Your precepts; therefore
I hate every wrong path." Well, David's talking here about the sweetening
effect of God's Word and how it turns him away from the bitter stuff.
It's God's Word that neutralizes the bitter taste of our sinful, selfish
side. Verse 11 in this same Psalm says, "I have hidden your word in
my heart that I might not sin against you." Now, if you've been around the
Jesus life very long, you've heard plenty about the importance of daily
Bible reading, devotions, quiet time. For some, that's just a part
of a check list of spiritual "dos". And it's one that is often neglected.
If you have difficulty maintaining a consistent Bible reading time, would
you raise your hand right now? Okay, hands going up all over the
place. There are plenty of us. This has got to be something
more than an entry on your list of Christian chores. One of the
things that keeps me going back to God's Word is what happens when I
don't; when I'm away from it for very long. Honestly, I miss the
sweetness. We all have our dark side; sinful, selfish, angry, dirty,
bitter, resentful, jealous. Maybe it's a short temper, sarcastic
attitude, or words that wound people, complaining, worrying,
self-centeredness, lying, or lust.
The time that you spend with the Lord and His Word serves as a restraining
force for that dark side of us. "That I might not sin against You."
Each morning as I sit with God's Word in my lap, and as I let it look into
my heart, (I don't just read it; it reads me.) the Lord seems to tame and
restrain the ugly part of me. But when I miss time with Him for very
long, I'll tell you, my dark side starts to surface more and more.
So frankly, I can't afford to miss my time with the Lord. It hurts
me and it hurts those I love.
How about a new habit this Summer. Come on, it's going to go fast
either way. Maybe it's the time in God's presence, soaking up God's
Word - God's perspective - that renews your perspective, that restrains
your dark side, that lifts the load that has you all bent over, and it
energizes you with the job your Jesus' relationship. Without that,
you're unsweetened tea. And I guess each new day is a new cup of
tea.
Whether or not you leave a bitter or sweet taste in people's lives depends
on whether or not you've been sweetened by being around your Savior; by
absorbing His perspective - seeing things and people and situations
through His eyes. Remember, His words are sweeter than honey, and
you won't be sweet for long without them. Have a Cup on HIM.
See you in Church,
Rev. Chuck
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