“Oh, taste and see
that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8)
When I was little and wanted something to
eat, my mother asked, “What about a banana, dear?”
That sounded good and I responded, “Yes.” She
brought out a thing that was in the shape of a banana, but I observed as she
handed it to me that it was nearly black in color. I made a face and told her I
would not eat it, whatever it was. “It’s spoiled!”
I complained. She then said that the banana is at its sweetest when it is that
color. “Try it,” she urged, peeling the banana back a little bit
as she spoke. I made another face, but did take a tiny taste. She was RIGHT! It
was good! It was sweeter than a regular banana. I ate the whole thing – and
liked it!
In college, certain authors presented ideas
that affected my thinking for a long time. One of them wrote an essay we shared
in an English class. It was by H. G. Wells and was called “Might
is Right,” which presented what was for me the shocking revelation that
the stronger one in a conflict would always win. I had previously thought that
if you are “nice” enough, good things will happen, but suddenly it seemed
obvious that life did not support such an idea. And “survival
of the fittest” is indeed true - except for God, who makes things right.
In traffic these days, I notice that you
have to move suddenly in order to successfully change lanes or the other drivers
just won’t let you in. If you signal your intention in advance, most of them
will block you, and we are drawn to the conclusion that you must signal AS you
are changing lanes, rather than doing it before you start to turn; then move
quickly before they can stop you. Such a decision gives lip-service to the law
that you must signal a lane change in advance and it also enables you to quickly
get in front of that other car without being stopped. How sad. It’s not
only true in driving, but every area of life seems to carry the same message – “Might is Right.”
Most people are “takers,” grabbing
everything they can – the world is filled with those on the lookout for
something they can get without earning it. And interestingly enough, such people
are offended by OTHERS when THEY are caught in the act of taking, which
describes another facet of our world – we are indignant when others are exposed
for doing what we do. You might want to read about it. Paul the Apostle gave us
precisely that observation in Romans 2:1 and its context, when he said, “You are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in
whatever you judge another you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the
same things.”
The very fabric of this world strongly
suggests that you have to take everything you can get in life because nobody
will give you anything. The struggle of life is indeed real, and unfortunately
that makes it difficult for us to understand the free gift of God in Jesus
Christ.
But there’s more to life than just getting
everything you can. Any happiness you achieve by being the first kid on your
block to rule the world, just won’t last. Even if you do manage to get more than
the rest of us, it will soon be gone. You will be struck by a reversal in the
stock market, a hostile takeover of your holdings, sudden criminal prosecution,
Alzheimer’s disease and death. You need the Lord. We all do. It’s time for us
all to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm
34:8) and discover the wonder of His love – forever.
When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He
taught us a lot. His mission was not merely to teach us; He was here to die for
our sins. We needed a Savior far more than we needed an Educator, but
fortunately for us, He lovingly taught us as well. We learned more from His
three years of ministry than we have from millions of educators, theologians and
philosophers, over the thousands of years humanity has lived on this earth.
He revealed to us the true value of things.
Through His words and actions, we find what is REALLY important in life. We can
learn to look up from that which is merely superficial and place our trust in
the Lord. Outward appearances and temporary victories just aren’t enough. He
said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where
thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also” (Matthew 6:19-20).
It is amazing that when we become willing
to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” we find
that He is indeed wonderful. Unlike that banana I ate as a child, He is a
lasting Wonder, offered to us all. I ate the banana and then, after awhile, I
wanted something ELSE to eat because I was hungry again. But the Lord will
SATISFY you, deeply; and the more you receive of Him, the more complete you will
be. It’s true for us all. And He does things in and through us that are
remarkable in every way. We discover “Right is Right”
– in Him.
A week ago, I was privileged to be invited
to speak at the “Pastoral Installation” service for
Pastor Carl A. Johnson, in Los Angeles. Four of us were selected to share “Personal
Expressions” about that good man of God, and Dr. Elliott J. Mason of
World Renewal Ministries gave the Installation Message. When I met Dr. Mason
before the service, I did not know who he was, but noticed that his voice was
very weak and he had difficulty standing. Whoever he was, it seemed that age had
struck him down. And then, a couple of hours later, I was far more surprised
than when I was a child and ate that banana!
The power of the Lord came upon the man. As
I listened to him, I had the distinct thought, “At last, I have heard a
PREACHER; after all these years, I have REALLY heard a man of God!” Dr. Mason’s
stature changed; he stood straight and tall. His voice deepened and not another
sound was heard in the Abiding Love church because of the power of his words. He
spoke about what it means to be a pastor, to shepherd others in the power and
love of God. I sat straighter in my chair and leaned forward, as everybody else
in the place no doubt also did. His message can be summed up in these words:
Listen to the Lord in all that you do, and don’t try to do anything for Him
until God Himself leads you to do it. A lot of what we call “Christian” activity
is really just human effort. Unlike H. G. Wells, this man understands what life
is all about. As our Scripture for today says, “blessed is
the man,” the person, “who trusts in the Lord.”
Let’s pray:
Father, we want to “taste” the good You offer and so we trust in Your Son. We
place our faith in Him. Help us to follow Him, now and forever. In Jesus Name.
Amen.
