Truth Seekers Newsletter
September 2, 2007: (part two) Oh Yummy!!
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After food passes the smell test, it is on its way into the doorway of the mouth. The mouth is multipurpose. Let's look first at the wonderful sense of taste.
It Tastes So Good!
One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 34:8. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
David gives us the same flavor in Psalm 119:103. How sweet are Your Words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
God could have made us in such a way that eating would be like putting gas into a car. We would just dump something down the hole and it would provide the same things it does now. But God didn't do that. He created taste. He wanted us to enjoy what passed through the gateway into our body!
A Good Diet
A Christian diet counselor has suggested that God never intended for us to count calories, carbs, or anything else. He wanted us to enjoy His Provision of food. This counselor says that many people just toss things into their mouth and don't even process the taste of it, much less thank God for every bite.
She recommends that if you really wants M and Ms, for example, you should eat them ... BUT ... she recommends that you take them, one at a time, and let them roll around in your mouth. Really taste them and savor them! Thank God for the wonderful taste, before swallowing them.
She believes if we did this, we would be so filled with gratitude to God that His Wonderful Holy Spirit would fill us up and we would eat less. We would be in such close communion with Him that we would then be more apt to hear His Voice, saying, "That is enough food for now ... but our wonderful fellowship can go on. I'll let you know when it is time to feed your body again. You don't have to oversupply your body. I will give you what you need when you need it."
(I did try the M and M experiment. It works. I just need to keep it up!)
Enjoy!
Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 10:26 that the earth and every good thing in it belong to the Lord and is ours to enjoy.
Our taste buds are the welcoming committee that gives the preview of that joy. They signal to the body that something wonderful is coming in the door! There are members in the Body of Christ, who welcome guests as they come in the door, and let them have a foretaste of the joy that awaits them inside the Body.
Oh Yuk!
There are some things that God never intended for us to taste. Anything evil certainly falls in this category, but one specific thing God said He did not intend for us to taste was death.
Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27 tell us that some, who were standing before Jesus, would not taste death, before they saw the Kingdom of God. Some people interpret this to mean the second coming. Some people believe Jesus was just talking to certain privileged people and that this verse could not possibly apply to them. However, I believe this verse applies to all Christians.
Those of us on this side of death look upon the dying person and we often shudder. It looks pretty gruesome from this side. It sometimes appears that our loved ones are being swallowed up. However, when the mouth closes, we don't see the miracle that is happening behind the teeth.
1st Corinthians 15:54 tells us that at the moment of death, what is perishable becomes imperishable and death is swallowed up in victory! God took the example again straight from the body He created! When death tries to come in the door, it will be gobbled up by the Victorious Christ, Who will pave the Way for us. When we enter, we will not taste death at all. Instead, we will be treated to the yummy tastes of the Kingdom of God. Those taste buds will be alive with our welcome to the new Body of Christ!
"Grandma," said Little Red Riding Hood, "What Big Teeth You Have!"
We can't get to the act of swallowing without mentioning the teeth. It fascinates me that God has all this in the entry hall of the body. Why would teeth be part of His Grand Design?
Teeth help to change the food into a form that can best be passed on to the body. In fact, when food leaves the mouth, often it does not resemble what went in the front door. It has been torn, shredded, mashed up, rolled around and mushed together into an entirely different form.
Does that sound like your life? Do you sometimes feel like you have encountered the action of the teeth? You started out in the Christian life and thought you understood what God wanted for you ... and then suddenly you were in the blender ... torn, shredded, mashed up, rolled around and mushed together into a different form. Never fear, God has a Plan, even now, when you are being prepared by His Teeth for processing in to the Body!
Where Is That Sound Coming From?
Let's not leave the mouth until we consider the lips and the tongue. Both have to do with tasting, but they also contribute to speech.
Speech is a fairly complicated process, in which there are a number of players. Each person's speech is unique. Just as we may recognize a person by their appearance or even their smell, we can also recognize them by their voice.
Jesus said His Sheep would recognize His Voice. He also said He was at the door and He wanted to come in and eat with us. He wants to be part of the process of going through this Body together. Don't leave Him standing at the door and try to take the trip without Him! Listen for His Voice!
Blab It and Have It?
God spoke the world into existence. Psalm 33:6. God said it and it came true. How do we move mountains today? Can we speak things into existence, like God does? Some people believe that one can say anything, and add "in the Name of Jesus" and it will come true. Is that how it works?
Last week we looked at the fact that we have to speak God's Language, not get Him to speak ours. In order to move mountains, we come to God in faith and learn what He has to say about the mountain ... and then we agree with Him about what is the right way to move that mountain and when.
Hush Up Now!
Zachariah and Elizabeth were well on in years, when the angel of God came to Zachariah and told him he was about to become a father. Zachariah wanted proof. He presented the physical evidence that both he and Elizabeth were old.
God's Miracles do not work in an atmosphere of lack of faith in what He is doing. Sometimes we are like meddlesome children and God has to tell us to be quiet and let Him work. He did so in Zachariah's case. After Zachariah expressed his doubt, God rendered him speechless until after John was born. When Zachariah was ready to speak God's Language, the Lord loosed his tongue and he spoke God's Truth.
Whatever God tells you, it is a good idea to agree!
The Rudder of the Ship
Right behind our lips and nicely sandwiched between our teeth is a small, but important muscle called the tongue. Actually our tongue is made up of a collection of different muscles, which allows it to do different things from helping us speak to flipping the food to the back of our mouth.
James knew how important the tongue was. He described it well in James 3:3-5. It says, in part, "Or take ships, for example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest fire is set on fire by a small spark."
Our tongue can be used for praising God, but it can also be used for cursing. James goes on to rightly say in James 3:10, "This should not be so."
The Body of Christ is listening to every word we say. Luke 6:45 tells us that what comes out of our mouth is a direct indication of what is in our heart.
Solomon reminded us in Proverbs 21:23 of the importance of guarding our mouth. God has put the tongue at the entrance to the body to remind us that many people will not go very far into the Body of Christ, unless what we say sounds like true God Language.
Who Is In Charge of Our Tongue?
How can we be sure that we know when to speak, when to be silent and that what we are saying is what God wants us to say? We let God have control of our hearts and our tongues. Many people do one, but not the other.
Some people have hearts that are far from God, but they try to make what they say sound like God. Other people say they love the Lord with all their heart, but they would like total control of what comes out of their mouth. If God puts something in their mouth that surprises them, they try to quickly censor it out!
The Mouth, The Standard Bearer for the Body of Christ!
Dare we speak for God? No! Dare we let Him speak through us? Definitely. Paul said in Ephesians 6:19, "Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel ..." We open our mouth and trust God to put His Words there.
If we give God control of our mouth, He will do for us what He did for Jeremiah. Jeremiah 1:9 says, "Then the Lord reached out His Hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘Now I have put My Words in your mouth.'" What an exciting thought!
Does God Have A Mouth?
We have learned that God has eyes and He has ears. Isaiah 55:11 tells us that He also has a Mouth. He speaks and He has an intended target for every One of His Words. Not One of God's Words is wasted. They always achieve the Purpose for which He sent them!
Speaking With One Voice ... God's Voice!
What happens when each member of the Body of Christ speaks what God is saying? Paul, through Romans 15:5-6, sets the direction we want to go.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a Spirit of Unity among yourselves, as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth, you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
The Big Slide!
Next week, we are out of the mouth and on our way down the big slide to the stomach and beyond. You may be surprised to see where we end up!
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