Encouragement for Today - January 17, 2006

1/17/06

Encouragement for Today

(Principle #1)

“Taste and See”

Rachel Olsen, Co-Editor of Online Devotions, Proverbs 31 Speaker Team Member

Key Verse:

Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (NIV)

Devotion:

Dagoba dark 59%... it’s the bomb as far as I’m concerned. It’s pure, semisweet, organic dark chocolate I get from my local health food co-op. Just a few bites after dinner almost always satisfies my notoriously big sweet tooth. This, by the way, is a very good thing as I work to shed those excess holiday pounds.

You give me a Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, however, and I’m likely to consume the whole thing, lick the wrapper and ask if there is more where that came from. For me, anything less than rich dark chocolate sets into action a cycle of craving, consuming and craving more.

I am so happy God created chocolate. If anyone should doubt that God loves us, they need only to examine the cocoa bean … well, that and the coffee bean! I’m certain that God understands the pleasure chocolate can give a gal. King David also knew such wonderful tastes were a gift from the Lord. He said, “Bless the Lord, O my soul… who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (Psalms 103:2, 5, NKJ) I’m thinking King David must’ve been a chocolate-lover! It was also David in Psalm 34:8 who encouraged all to, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” (NIV)

God is like the perfect blend of dark and milk chocolate. He simultaneously satisfies my soul, and yet in this state of fulfilled satisfaction I desire more of Him – to go farther and move deeper in our relationship … deeper into the river of God.

The apostle Peter described what should follow our tasting of the Lord’s mercy, love and grace: “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” (1 Peter 2:1-3 NIV)

Milk – the perfect accompaniment to chocolate! So what is pure spiritual milk? It is the Word of the God. The King James version translates this way, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.” (1 Peter 2:2)

The Bible promises we will be satisfied when we seek God, and act according to His commands. Psalms 37:3-4 says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.” (NJK) Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matt 5:6, NIV)

Chocolate and milk go hand-in-hand. So does God’s love and God’s law. By consuming plenty of both on a regular basis, we grow in our salvation. By laying aside our envious and deceitful ways for the ways of love, we display Christ’s righteousness and experience a deep satisfaction like no other. Bon Appetite!

My Prayer for Today:

Dear Lord, Thank You for the enjoyment of life’s little pleasures like chocolate. But thank You even more for the milk of Your Word. May I hunger and thirst to understand Your laws and Your ways. And may I stand for Your justice in a world of corruption. Fill me with Your presence and love today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application Steps:

Garb yourself a small bite of chocolate and a glass of milk and sit down to study the Word of God today. Choose a verse or passage of Scripture and commit it to memory this week.

Reflection Points:

Have you tasted and seen that the Lord is good? If not, click on the “Do You Know Him?” link below.

Have you forgotten how satisfying a life lived hand-in-hand with Christ and His Word can be?

Have you delighted yourself in the Lord and His Word lately?

Power Verses:

John 7:37, “On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” (NKJ)

Psalms 37:3-4, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. (NKJ)

Psalms 103: 2-5, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with loving-kindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.” (NKJ)