Jesus' Invitation~

This DEVO was originally published March 4, 2014

Greetings in the mighty name of Jesus!

Psalm 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

Decades ago when I first met Jorge he and I would go out to eat (Remember Sizzler?), and I would always order my steak well done – hockey puck style. This, of course, was highly offensive to Jorge, who was labeled a protein pig by a college professor and loved it!  He considers himself a steak connoisseur, and over and over again he would say, “Babe, trust me, you are eating that all wrong. You have to try it charred on the outside and pink in the middle. It will change your life."

He was so dramatic, and almost offended that I wouldn't eat steak his way, until one day, I succumbed. And I will admit Jorge was right! What a difference. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth soft, yet crunchy on the outside. I have never looked back, and on the grounds of that first taste, I long for more.

And when I accepted Jesus' invitation and discovered He outrageous love for me, the peace He so freely gives, the joy He fills me with, the answered prayers He blesses me with, and the wisdom He provides so I can live the best life possible and love my family well– on the grounds of those first tastes of His magnificence…I LONG FOR MORE AND MORE OF HIM.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Glory to Your name. Thank You for this open invitation to continually taste and see Your goodness.  We have all tasted and seen Your goodness, but we want more.  We want to be filled with You until it overflows onto everyone around us!  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

On the Grounds of That First Taste~

Greetings, dear people ~

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander. Desire God’s pure word as newborn babies desire milk. Then you will grow in your salvation. Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!

Decades ago when I first met Jorge he and I would go out to eat, and I would always order my steak well done. Hockey puck style. This, of course, was highly offensive to Jorge who was once labeled a protein pig, and rightly so, by a professor in a college nutrition class. The assignment was to submit everything you ate for a week and analyze the nutritional content. Jorge was proud of his massive meat consumption, and thus highly scandalized that I wasn't eating my steaks rare or medium rare.

Over and over again he would say, "Babe, trust me, you are eating that all wrong. You have to try it charred on the outside and pink in the middle. It will change your life."

He was so dramatic, almost offended that I wouldn't eat steak his way, until one day, I succumbed. And I will admit Jorge was right!

What a difference. The meat was melt-in-your-mouth soft, yet crunchy on the outside. I have never looked back, and on the grounds of that first taste, I long for more.

And when I met Jesus and discovered He loves me, gives me peace, fills me with joy and answers prayers and absolutely knows the best way for me to live my life and love my family--on the grounds of that first taste...I LONG FOR MORE...of HIM.

What is the motivation for purging the bad, reading the Bible, and growing up? Because I have already sampled for myself over and over and over again that God knows what He is doing. And I can not live without Him.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Glory to Your name. We have all tasted Your goodness. We have all seen answers to prayers. Therefore, we do desire to get rid of evil and to get to know You better. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

An Open Invitation~

Monday greetings:)

 

Remember last week when God was invited to hover over a special gal going in for surgery? Well, praise His High and Holy name! Everything went incredibly well! God is good and it's worth inviting Him into your life, into your problem, into your situation--no matter what it is. In fact, there is a standing and open invite for all of us in God's Holy Word.

 

Psalm 34:8

"Taste and see that the LORD is good! How blessed is the person who trusts in him!"

 

In other words, see for yourself. Don't take anyone's word for it. Don't live it through anyone else's experience. Get in on the action. Take God at His Word.

 

I love it when the Bible uses an exclamation point in a verse. But if it uses two--WATCH OUT!!! This must be worth a try.

 

Where, dear child, do you need a heaping helping of God's goodness right now?

 

Taste and see...First you try it...you pray for it...you RSVP to God and expect Him to do His thing...

 

AND THEN

 

You will see it....with your own eyes...His goodness, His provision, His blessings, His protection, His guidance, His healing, His peace, His joy, HIs hope, His wisdom...HIS ALL--all for you.

 

Glory , Hallelujah, and Praises :)

 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, We accept Your invitation. We want to see for ourselves Your goodness running rampant in our lives. Especially in this area (fill in the blank). Thank You that because we trust in You , we are blessed. In Jesus' name, AMEN~