Grace Notes

[charis2004]

Emmanuel

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Gosh, it was hard getting out of bed this morning. It seems the older this body gets, the more effort it takes to get it moving. But, in an act of pure superhuman strength, I dragged myself out of bed and headed off to my favorite idol - the coffee pot. It's still dark in the house when I getup, so I was cautiously making my way to the kitchen, trying not to trip on any toys, when I heard a small tapping coming from my front door. "We never get visitors first thing in the morning," I mumbled to myself. I'm not fit for beholding by man or beast before my first cup of coffee. Nevertheless, I opened the door just a crack to see who was there.

"Good morning," he whispered, "Shhh! I don't want to wake your kids."

I couldn't believe it. There stood Jesus at my front door! I panicked. 'My house is a mess and I haven't yet showered and shaved,' I thought. I'm not prepared for guests this early in the morning, in fact, I usually need a 3-day notice.

"Lord, you can come in, but my house..."

"I'm not a guest, I'm family," he smiled.

"This is gonna be tricky," I thought.

"Go ahead, get your cup of coffee." He followed me quietly to the kitchen.

"Lord, what are you doing here? I thought that you were supposed to, you know, descend from heaven with a shout and all that stuff..."

He again put his finger to his lips. "Our secret," he whispered, "I never really left." A million thoughts went through my head as to why he was here. Why now? What did he want?

"I heard your prayers last night, Bill."

I thought of my prayers last night - for friends, for new-found family. Even my 'selfish' ones - my concerns, my confusions, my lack of clear direction, my feelings of insufficiency. "And you're here to answer them?" I asked politely.

He smiled again. Man, I wish I could instill in others the acceptance I saw in that smile. "I am the Answer to them," he replied. "and I just wanted to share the day with you. You know, go with you to work..."

'Oh, gosh,' I thought. 'I'm not prepared.'

"Bill, you don't need to be prepared, I'm not here to evaluate your performance. I'm just here to be with you. I'm your life. We're in this together. Do all the things you normally do..."

I quietly laughed. "I won't even know you're there, right, Lord?"

"Oh, you'll know," he smiled again. Man, that smile... "Do you trust me?"

I was trying to analyze his question.

"Trust me," he said.

Ok, here we go.


Just a parable.
And a reality.

Bill Mc

[sincereheart]

"I am the Answer to them," he replied.

 

[charis2004]

Chocolate Cream Pie

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Chocolate Cream Pie...hmmmm...what do those words make you think of? For me, they make me think of...well...chocolate cream pie.

We had a baby dedication in the family recently. And my mother-in-law, as usual, had way too much food for lunch afterward. So she sent some of the extra home with us. One of the things she sent was a whole chocolate cream pie. I opened the box with my usual restraint and patience, my fork and knife poised for the kill. There it was...chocolate cream pie. The crust was a golden brown, the cream was piled high. I knew the chocolate filling was under there somewhere. I cut a slice and put it on my plate, debating as to whether I should save the slice for later and eat the rest of the pie now or vice versa. Did I mention that I like chocolate cream pie? My wife encouraged me to hurry up and eat the pie so that I would stop salivating on the kitchen floor. So, wanting to avoid any marital strife, I put a bite in my mouth, expecting pure unadulterated bliss...

Nothing. No fireworks. No 4th of July. Nothing. The cream tasted like...well, nothing. There was lots of it but it had no taste. I chewed and chewed, desperately trying to find a morsel of flavor somewhere. The chocolate filling was like rubber and squeaked in my mouth. The crust just crumbled away in total disintegration. I had a mouth full of pie and it had no taste whatsoever. It had consistency but no satisfaction.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that Christ has called me to Himself. I have been called to a Person, not a religion or a cause. I was reminded of the church at Ephesus that did many right things but had lost their first love. Christ alone is worthy of my complete devotion. How do I know that? He tells me so. He says that He is the Way, the Truth, the Life. He says that if I come to Him, that from my inner-most being will flow rivers of water. Do you have rivers of water flowing from Christ in you? Or is it a stream, a creek, a trickle? How else do I know that Christ alone is my sufficiency? Because nothing else satisfies. Nothing. What God might bless as a supplement, He will curse as a substitute. Nothing in my life can take the place of Christ and my relationship to Him. Not my family (as important as they are), not my local church, definitely not my job, and not even Christian friends that I love. Nothing quenches our thirst for the living Water except the living Water.

My chocolate cream pie was not the real thing. It looked like chocolate cream pie. My eyes deceived me. I believed it was chocolate cream pie. But it wasn't. It was some store-bought mix that looks home-made and promises satisfaction. But it lacked all the time and investment (and love) that a REAL chocolate cream pie requires. That pseudo-pie went out with the trash with 'Anathema' written across it - with only one slice missing from its beautiful facade. Imposter. Now I'm hungry for the real thing. I want the real deal. I might even be able to talk my wife into making me a strawberry-rhubarb pie too. Wanna come over?

Don't settle for anything less than reality. Ever. Don't settle for anything less than Christ. Once you have Him, and He has you, you'll want for nothing more. Once you've tasted and seen that the Lord is 'chocolate cream pie', nothing else will satisfy. God designed us that way, you know. Jesus said, "Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and you will find 'chocolate cream pie' for your souls." Well, okay, I've taken a little liberty there, but you understand. He alone can satisfy. Thank God that He does.

Bill Mc

[charis2004]

A Scriptural Guide to Dining

One central doctrine of the Christian faith that almost all believers agree upon concerns the breaking of bread. We love to eat. Food and fellowship! Does life get any better?

With that in mind, I am posting a "scriptural guide to dining" to help folks discern, from God's Word, what the Lord says about food and how to eat it. May you be blessed as you consider the wise counsel of our Lord:

1. Don't eat at cheap restaurants - Isaiah 28:8 - For all tables are full of vomit and filth; no place is clean.

2. Real Christians don't eat calamari - Deuteronomy 14:3 - You shall not eat any detestable thing.

3. Real Christians don't eat sushi - Job 6:7 - My soul refuses to touch them; They are as loathsome food to me.

4. The best way to eat oysters - Proverbs 1:12 - Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit.

5. "Pigs in a blanket" are kosher and fine for eating - Ezekiel 3:1 - Moreover He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel."

6. Don't drink milk, it will stunt your growth - Hebrews 5:13 - For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

7. Don't drink only water - 1 Timothy 5:23 - No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.

8. Don't expect everyone to share your taste in food and be careful when exchanging recipes - 2 Kings 18:27 - ..."Has my master sent me to your master and to you to speak these words, and not to the men who sit on the wall, who will eat and drink their own waste with you?"

9. Smorgasbords are the best way to serve food and drink (don't forget to keep the food covered from "sneezers") - Revelation 7:16 "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat;"

10. Finally, always keep Gas-X and Rolaids on hand - Jeremiah 4:19 - O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, Because you have heard, O my soul, The sound of the trumpet, The alarm of war.

I hope you have found these biblical references helpful in planning your next dining occasion. I also hope that this guide demonstrates the necessity for learning to interpret scripture properly in its context.

Bill Mc