Taste and See

“Sometimes we have to work to find delight in God’s Word. Jeremiah said that when he ate God’s words, they became a joy. They don’t become a joy sitting on a shelf. We have to taste to receive them.…” Dug Down Deep, by Joshua Harris, p. 71.

If you’ve ever given up sugar (assuming, of course, that you’re in the majority and include sugar as a dietary staple), you might have noticed that your body went through stages of withdrawal. Stage 1 – Craving. You want sugar all the time in nearly any form. For me, this lasts about 10 days. Stage 2 – Contentment. The cravings stop and you’re satisfied with your new, healthier way of eating. Stage 3 – The Aha Moment. You realize that these healthy foods actually do have flavor. The really good, I-could-actually-live-on-this sort of flavor. Foods you didn’t care for are delicious. Foods that you liked, you love. And those sugary foods don’t hold much appeal for you anymore. When you do decide to indulge in something decadent and sugary, the anticipation far outweighs the actual flavor. Stage 4 – Wisdom. What’s best for you tastes really yummy and you know it.

Isn’t our spiritual diet like this? We devour (at least I do) much reading material, but sometimes don’t have much appetite for our health food. Scripture doesn’t tempt me. Like salad at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I often read my obligatory chapter before moving on to the “good stuff.”

Only if we persevere, if we cut out the sugary “foods” (and this can be good, Christian material like fiction, blogs, e-mails, etc.), and eat primarily the healthy stuff, our cravings for the sugary stuff decreases and our cravings for the Word of God increases. And if we persevere, we will reach the point where we get it. Not only is Scripture the best food for us, but it tastes better than anything else.

So let me encourage you today to taste from God’s Word.

Your words were found and I ate them, and your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your name, O LORD, God of hosts. --Jeremiah 15:16 (NASB)

The Least Among You (DVD) - Lionsgate

Based on a true story, this was an interesting look at a young man's journey to faith. He was raised by a mom of faith and a mostly absent dad in a neighborhood fraught with drugs and violence, blaming God for many things. Through a series of circumstances - the Watts Riots, a probationary year at an all-white seminary, and the friendship of the groundskeeper, Richard Kelly encounters God. He becomes a man of faith, of conviction. A man who knows that strength comes from surrender. A man who knows that with God, all things are possible, even for a young black man unwillingly studying in an all-white seminary.

This film looks at racism in the church in the 60s. It looks at watered down Bible teachings that are so prevalent today in the American church. And it looks at the impact that one man can have on another.

Extremely disappointed that the film earned it's PG-13 rating with a completely unnecessary use of the "f" word. While some unsavory things were depicted that were relevant to the story, showing the lifestyle Richard came out of, the language - the only language besides the a-- word - added absolutely nothing to the story. Having watched the movie with my kids, it was doubly disappointing to try to explain why a Christian film would have added something so vulgar, especially when it in no way enhanced the story. In fact, I believe it detracted from the story.

With that exception, it was a moving story about faith transcending circumstance.

A complimentary review copy of this DVD was provided with no expectation of a positive review.