Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Fine Dining

You are not here to make the world comfortable.  When Christ comes dripping out of you at first, then a sprinkle and eventually a great torrent, it will not land you in the preferred spots at the table.  Even our Lord was pushed aside in the Samaritan village, mocked in Jerusalem and nearly knocked off the cliff in His home town.  You cannot expect to be beloved everywhere you go if God is seeping out of you!  His love, His patience, His calm assurance, His holiness and humility do not win over Pharisees or judges but the aroma of Christ will entice some to want a taste of what you have.    The "least of these" are frantically scanning about for a sign that the universe is more than just a wasteland...that there is real life somewhere.  You come to them with the Breath, the Light and suddenly darkness is not oppressive, the empty spaces are not a vacuum.  There is real hope and you possess it; a reason to believe and you hold it in your hand.  Do not neglect the life of God within you.  Do not starve it by letting the world be your nourishment.  You are God's gift to the world, His fine banquet.  Be filled with the Holy Spirit, eating with ravenous hunger the Scriptures, drinking deeply of Christ in prayer.  Never let a day pass when you do not put into practice something you see God is working into you.  Whether it be forgiveness, mercy, calm assurance, wisdom, pure actions, guarded words or generosity, let the Spirit bring it out of you.  At times God may have to squeeze it out of you like juice from the grape but when He does, you can be certain it is not in vain.  The pressure that breaks the bread and crushes the grape produces a rich meal for a "God-starved" world.  If you are squeezed, don't panic or fight to get out of God's grip, let Him produce in you a feast that is irresistible when the right guest sits at the table.


On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples,         Isaiah 25:6a NIV

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