It Only Takes a Taste

"O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good!

Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) 

is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him."

Psalm 34:8 AMP

"How will I know he's the one?"  It's a question asked through the ages by young women yearning for their prince, their knight in shining armor, their future husband.  This sentiment also has been applied to God.  People throughout time have wondered, How do I know what the Bible says is true?  How can I be sure God really is good?  What if I put my trust in Him and it's all proved to be a sham, a big cosmic joke?

There is always a certain risk when it comes to matters of faith.  After all, that's what faith is: Believing something is true in the absence of evidence.  While I can see plenty of proof all around of a good God who loves us; the complexity of His creation, so-called coincidences that are just too good to be mere happenstance, a marriage between two people who love each other through thick and thin, it can be argued that I see these things because I know God for myself.  I love Him and have committed my life to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.  I believe so it could be said I only have eyes for Him.  I'm brainwashed, so to speak.

If this is true, then all I can say is what David expressed in today's passage.  "Try God out for yourself and then see all the ways He makes your life better.  You'll never know for sure until You give Him a chance in your own life!"  

What can I expect if I give Him a chance?

Deliverance.  Not from my problems.  Not from hardships.  Not from difficulties.  Submitting myself to God through faith in Jesus Christ will offer another kind of deliverance.  I will find freedom from fear as I begin to relate to God as a child to a loving, powerful and sovereign Father.  If He is my refuge and strength, bigger than any problem or crisis I face, what do I have to fear (Psalm 46:1- 3)?

In addition, shame will be gone as I realize the forgiveness Jesus has secured through His blood sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22), giving me the opportunity to live with the confidence that my sins have not condemned me.  Not only that, but I have hope, even when it seems there is none.  In Christ, the Conqueror, I can possess an optimistic expectation of what is to come.

When I taste and see that the Lord is good I will find true deliverance.

Abundance.  I often wonder what it would be like to grow up in a wealthy home, to have a father with power and influence, resources beyond comprehension, who loved me unconditionally and had the clout to pull strings to provide the best life has to offer.  Then I remember:  I do have a Father like that!

God is as fatherly as they come, doting on His children and lavishing them with gifts beyond compare (1 John 3:1, Matthew 7:9-11, Ephesians 1:3).  His brand of spoiling is best since He tempers it with discipline, giving me the best of both worlds.  I have all that I need and more, plus the benefit of a firm hand when necessary.  In this way I won't be ruined with getting things my way but am secure in His love as a legitimate child (Hebrews 12:7-8).

When I taste and see that the Lord is good I will discover His abundant gifts flowing throughout my life.

Redemption.  There's something special about the love of God.  He has this power to take that which was meant for my destruction, the very thing that was meant to bring me down, what was introduced into my life to hurt me, and transform it.  God's redemptive power is life-altering (Isaiah 61:3).  

Sin, which came into the world through the disobedience of one man, Adam, spread throughout all the earth, corrupting it and twisting it into something unrecognizable from it's original design.  Still, God is able to take me as a sinful being and redeem my life, transforming it from a downward spiral that ends in death to a beautiful journey that takes me to life eternal (Ephesians 1:8, John 3:16).  

Sin was supposed to be the end of all the good that God made, but God had a plan.  Through Jesus, He was able to buy it back with His blood, giving us the power to live as one who is righteous by faith and the hope of it all returning to it's pre-sin state when Jesus returns (Romans 3:22, Revelation 21) .  His resurrection is proof.  

Not only do I have this salvation from the punishment my sins earned me, but even the weakness of my sinful body can be used for good(Romans 6:13)!  How could anything decent or wholesome come from my heart that is corrupted by sin?  Through Christ, it is made new and I can fulfill the good plan He has for me (Ephesians 2:10)!

When I taste and see that the Lord is good I will know His redemptive power for myself.

It may be hard to believe without some kind of physical, tangible confirmation that God exists.  I can't see Him.  I can't touch Him.  I can't hear Him.  How do I know He's not some figment of my imagination?  If I take a risk and try Him out for myself, putting my full weight on Him and testing Him out, I'll find deliverance, abundance, and redemption.  It only takes a taste, and then there is no going back!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to take Him at His word.

When do I demand physical evidence before I'll try God on for myself?

How has God changed my life in ways I can't otherwise explain? 

  

Hear for Yourself

"They said to the woman,

'We no longer believe just because of what you said;

now we have heard for ourselves,

and we know that this man really is

the Savior of the world.'"

John 4:42

I remember watching the children's television show Reading Rainbow when my daughters were younger.  Host Levar Burton would introduce child guests who recommended books to the audience with the familiar line, "But you don't have to take my word for it."

It's always good to have a reference of some kind when trying to decide whether or not to take a risk and purchase a new product, read a book, or make an investment.  I am inherently suspicious, so I don't swallow every line that I'm fed.

It is the same with me and Jesus.  I can have all the references in the world, hearing testimony after testimony of how He changed peoples' lives, but until I, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) I will never truly believe for myself.  My faith with be counterfeit as I rely only on what I've heard from others, not on what He's done for me personally.  

If I want to grow my faith in Jesus Christ I must hear from Him for myself.

Personal

My four daughters grew up in a Christian home.  Their mother and father were both believers and committed to following Him.  The girls heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ from the time they were first able to walk, and they attended church on a regular basis where that message was reinforced.  Because they grew up in a such home, it would have been easy for them to assume they were "in" with God.  

As they matured and grew, though, all four of them went through their own personal experience in which they accepted Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior.  They each had to reach the point of individual realization of their own sinfulness and their need for salvation.  Since they knew from where their help came, they turned to what they knew: Jesus.  

Each of my daughters knew the Bible stories backward and forward, they had knowledge and understanding of why Jesus died on the cross, they believed God existed and that He loved them.  But they needed to begin their own personal relationship with Him and get to know Him for themselves.  Up until then, their faith was only made up of folklore and tradition.  Today, each one of them can say that Jesus is their lifeline.

I can't just rely on the relationship others' have with Jesus and piggy-back my way into the kingdom of God.  Instead, I need to make Him my own Savior, and begin to experience life with Him by my side.

In order to hear from Jesus for myself, I need to make Him my own personal Lord and Savior.

Unique

Middle School is a difficult time in a young person's life.  It is when most kids go through puberty and a period of searching for their identity.  Considering the fact that schools tend to place this age group together in one school, it's no wonder Jr High, as we used to call it, is rife with fads and clicks.  Kids want to fit in with someone and try to mimic those whom they admire.  For this reason, walking into most middle schools is like walking into a clone factory: Most children look the same.

Changing my hair, clothes and behavior may be enough to get me into a certain group as a pubescent youth, but fitting in with God's family is a bit different.  If I want to find my place in the Body of Christ, I will need to learn to accept myself and others as God has individually formed us.

With all of the millions of people ever created, its hard to believe that each of us is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  It is true, though: I have a different combination of gifts, talents and personality that makes me distinct from everyone else.  

For this reason, I can't expect my relationship with Jesus to be the same as everyone else's.  Some interweave their devotional time throughout the day, while others stick to a morning time to set them on the right path.  A number of believers may be led to take a job in an industry known for its godlessness, while some work in a Christian-friendly environment.  A few can glean a message from Him virtually anywhere, even in secular music, while others are tempted to fall away by listening to anything other than gospel music.  

Since my connection with Jesus is as individual as I am, I must be careful not to mimic others faith, or judge those whose life does not look like mine.  Instead, I am to stay true to what God is calling me to do for my own life and, unless He convicts me to rebuke a brother or sister, leave all judgement to God.  He is the Father of us all and following Him will never lead me into sin.

In order to hear from Jesus myself, I need to cultivate my own unique relationship with Him.

Characteristic

I can recognize the handiwork of a friend because she has her own flavor.  One friend gives good advice, while another never stops by without a little something to share with me.  Others know how to make me laugh, while some get to the heart of the matter.  Each person has their own characteristic style of walking with Christ.

As I grow in my relationship with Him, I start to develop my own unique and personal story.  This testimony is constantly changing and evolving as I see more of His handiwork in my life.  When I tell others what God is doing for me, it will look different than what I hear from them.

This is one of the mysteries of God.  How can He be so big as to create all things, yet so small as to connect intimately and individually with each of His children?  As I walk with Him in this life He has given me, I will begin to learn more and more about Him.  Every new revelation will awaken in me a sense of awe at the greatness of my God.

This attitude of astonishment and respect for God is addressed by Oswald Chambers.  He said, "Faith is the inborn capacity to see God behind everything, the wonder that keeps you an eternal child.  Wonder is the very essence of life.  Beware always of losing the wonder, and the first thing that stops wonder is religious conviction.  Whenever you give a trite testimony, the wonder is gone.  The evidence of salvation is that the sense of wonder is developing."

It is easy for me to go on auto-pilot and discontinue my real and personal everyday walk with a living God.  Instead, I can turn this relationship into tradition and religion; doing ritualistic things that have worked in the past, copying what others are doing, going through the motions.  At this point, God ceases to be up-close and personal and has become far away and aloof.

Carrying a characteristic testimony that is fresh and new each day will come when I'm always connected to the One who is my Source of power, life and adventure!

In order to hear Jesus for myself, I need to develop my own distinguishable testimony through my exclusive experiences with a living God.

There are countless books written on how to develop a deeper faith in God.  This is not a great mystery, however, as the solution lies in my personal relationship with Jesus, my unique experiences with Him and how this all builds into my own characteristic testimony as I tell others of the wonder of God.  Don't, however, take my word for it: Find out for yourself and begin the adventure of a lifetime!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will keep my connection with God through faith in Jesus Christ fresh and new.

How do I fall back on dry, old religion instead of keeping my relationship with God at the forefront of my consciousness?

When am I copying what others do instead of blazing my own path and following God in my own way?