WATCHWORD:
1 I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with his praise. 2 I live and breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy: 3 Join me in spreading the news; together let’s get the word out. 4 God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears. 5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him. 6 When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot. 7 God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray. 8 Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see— how good God is. Blessed are you who run to him. Psalm 34:1-8 The Message
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 NLT
Meditation:
Taste and See?
Can you think of a time when you actually “tasted” God’s grace? I can recall a time several years ago, loaded down with guilt because of something that had happened the day before, sitting in a church in Chicago, early for the Sunday service, listening to Paul Winter, the famous alto saxophone player, playing an introduction to the worship service. That beautiful music surrounded me and I sensed God’s grace washing over me. At that moment, my depression and guilt were gone and I knew that this was God’s grace. In a real and tangible way I could taste (experience) that the Lord is good.
Timothy Keller, in his excellent book, The Prodigal God, makes this statement: “Jesus’ salvation is a feast, and therefore when we believe in and rest in his work for us, through the Holy Spirit he becomes real to our hearts. His love is like honey, or like wine. Rather than only believing that he is loving, to sense the reality, the beauty, and the power of his love. His love can become more real to you than the love of anyone else.”
Ah, that is hard to get our mind around. God’s love is more than the love of our closest loved one! I believe that if we knew the depth, the breath, and the height of God’s love we might be terrified! That love goes far beyond our ability to understand it. That love goes far beyond where our imagination can take us. That love encompasses us even when we, by our own judgment, have been totally and completely unlovable! God’s love, like God’s grace, is never-ending, is all-encompassing and is there for us regardless.
So don’t leave the banquet hall without sampling the wonderful buffet of graces that God has laid out for us. Inhale the wondrous aromas and sample the delicacies of grace. And don’t miss the entrée, the prize, that God loves us, truly and completely, and that God is in charge of all that would touch our lives. Don’t miss that. May God’s grace and His blessings flow over you throughout the day. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
The old priest made it a practice to visit the Parish school one day a week. He walked into the fourth grade classroom, we’re children we’re studying the states ask them how many states they could name. They came up with about 40 names. To which the priest jokingly told them that in his day students knew the names of all the states. One boy raised his hand and said, “Yes sir, but in those days there were only 13.”
Closing Prayer:
Father, I praise you today for all that you have done in my life. You are faithful even when I am faithless. Your love pursues me even when I am unlovable. Your forgiveness covers me my sin and frees me from its penalty. I praise you for Your love and faithfulness to me. Your presence in my life changes everything, empowering me to live each moment of every day, content in knowing You are in control. As I face today, Lord, remind me that no matter what happens, I can praise You. It’s in the name of Your son, Jesus, that I offer these prayers. Amen.
