When I went out for lunch today I saw this dish with jalapenos in it. I like hot and spicy food so I wasn’t too concerned. What I failed to notice was one the peppers were fresh and not cooked and they were sliced very thick. One bite and I was immediately reaching for the glass of tea. You would think a person would learn from their mistakes but a real man cleans his plate even his hotter than fire peppers.
Later on I took the second and third bite of peppers, which sent me over the edge. My tongue became inflamed, my lips began to burn and then become numb. They guys I ate with laughed at me but I have to say they all laughed from a distance because not one of them had peppers on their plate.
My mind works in weird ways. I was just thinking about that meal and the burning lips. I began thinking about how I wish my heart could burn for Christ the way my lips were burning after eating those peppers. That thought began to turn over in my mind and I thought about how many people eat very few if any peppers and seldom have experienced the burning lips I did today. On the other hand I have met those cast iron stomachs that could eat several peppers and never blink an eye. They may have burning lips, hearts, and stomachs. In fact they may be set ablaze in their intestines as well.
What I wish is that I would taste and see that Christ is good allowing Him to warm and burn in my heart like that jalapeno did on my lips today. His burning can be painful too. For Christ to burn in my heart, means that He will do some refining work there. He point out all the areas of my life that keep me from burning. He will one by one remove those things. Some I will not care about but there will be other long engrained patterns of thinking, behavior, and attitudes that will not come out easily. When those things are uprooted by the cleansing and refining work of the Lord it will not be a pleasant experience but the results will be well worth it.
Christ is set before each of us. It kind of like the jalapeno dish I had for lunch. It was there on the plate. I did not have to taste it. I could have pushed it to the side or I could have sliced off a sliver just to barely get a taste. Many people do this with Jesus. They get a little taste at Bible study or Sunday morning worship and that is enough for them. Christ is not given the opportunity to refine and sanctify because sin and compromise are not only tolerated but also preferred. How often do church members push Jesus to the side so they feast on other pleasures?
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” [Ps 34:8] Many people walk by Christ like people walk by a dish they do not like in a buffet line. They simply pass it over. We are to not only taste Christ and savor Him in our souls but we are to see that He is good. He is not only necessary but also beneficial to our lives. Apart from Him there is no hope of everlasting life or promise of a full life here. [Jn 10:10] [Jn 14:6] O, I have tasted and I have found Him good and He makes my heart to burn with passions I have never known. At times He burns and it is unpleasant as He refines but in the end I know it is for my good. He is a benevolent Lord, a compassionate Christ and a rewarding God. I have tried and tasted and the risen Christ in my relationship with Him therefore I can testify with the Psalmist that God is good.
Now, Christ, the Everlasting Lord, The Prince of Peace, and the Alpha and Omega is before you. Will you taste and enjoy Him allowing Him to burn in your heart? You have only your carnal desires to lose and the Lord Himself to gain. I have to confess that I will never look at a jalapeno the same way again.
Lord, I know that we are far too easily amused, entertained, and satisfied. I ask that we would feast on your presence in this year and be consumed with your burning in our souls. Please give us distaste for the bland and poor diet of this world. Help us to hunger for you like David did in [Ps 63:1]. “O God , You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” My lips are no longer burning but I pray my heart ever will be.
No comments:
Post a Comment