The Richness of Scripture
If dessert makes you feel bad afterwards, someone did something wrong - and it wasn’t you. That is to say, rich desserts do not have to be heavy.
According to Chef Jeremy of MissoulaCakes.com, we can have all the yums without the gut bomb often associated with desserts. He says the trick is two-fold: layers and contrast. He claims that the full yum experience means having multiple layers with different textures.
As an example, he uses the scene from Willy Wonka where Violet is chewing the magical gum which transforms from turkey to stuffing and all the sides, then blueberry pie.
When a layered cake is done right, we can experience all of the richnes of the contrasting flavor distinctions, without the need for more fat and sugar.
Scripture is like a well crafted cake, rich and full of layers and textures — everything from biblical history, the Law, and prophecy, to poetry and proverbs, filled beginning to end with moral and eccelsiastical instruction, all layered with measures of personal, communal, and even global admonition and instruction.
Some might find that all a bit "heavy" to consume. Yet the Word of God is crafted so perfectly that it fills our lives with richness, with fullness, without any of the bloat. It is meant to be savored, consumed, and digested.
To that end, Paul admonishes us to embrace the whole of scripture, with all it's richness and many textures, so that it might have its fullest impact on our lives. We can experience all of its intended nourishment without feeling heavy. And like a delectible dessert shared among friends after a lavish meal, we can delight in it with grattitude and praise.
"Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts" (Colossians 3:16, NLT).
"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8, NIV).
Forever Dependent
There is perhaps no greater picture of total dependence than that of an infant rooting for its mother’s milk. The toddler may insist on holding a cup of milk by himself, but he is just as dependent on his parents to provide it. And the dairy farmer, who owns the cows that produce the milk, is just as dependent on his Creator to provide the straw needed to feed his cows.
At some point in our growth and development, most of us begin to think that we have arrived at a point of independence. We make the mistake of thinking that by taking on more responsibility, we have become independent.
But we never have, nor will we ever, create our own necessary food, or the universe in which it is cultivated, or the people who grow it, or the teeth that crush it, or the saliva the begins to break it down, or the stomach that digests it, or the biological system that delivers it to the individual cells of the body.
At the height of our abilities, we only ever play a minuscule role in providing for ourselves. But that doesn't stop us from looking at our successes and thinking, "I've got this."
The truth of the matter is that we don't have this, but God does have us. Let a stroke take that tiny part of our independence away and we very quickly come to the realization of just how totally dependent on God we really are.
The point is God has a purpose not just for the provisions He provides but even for the trials that seem to set us back. Blind and arrogant as we are to our total dependence on God, we often need His help to see the truth. Sometimes that help comes in the form of helplessness.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
When Are You Going To Die?
Richard Carlson, Ph.D., was an author, psychotherapist, and motivational speaker, who became famous with the success of his book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff... and it’s all Small Stuff (1997). The book became one of the fastest-selling books of all time. It is divided into 100 brief chapters. The last chapter is entitled, “Live This Day as if It Were Your Last. It May Be.” Carlson lived his last day on December 13, 2006. He died of a pulmonary embolism during a flight from San Francisco to New York, leaving his wife and two teenage daughters.
Carlson said that he ended his book with this chapter as a reminder of how precious life and loved ones are. He wrote: “I often wonder, when listening to the news, did the person who died in the auto accident on his way home from work remember to tell his family how much he loved them?” Carlson started the 100th chapter asking, “When are you going to die? In fifty years, twenty, ten, five, today? Last time I checked, no one had told me.”
He died suddenly and unexpectedly nine years later at the age of 45.
"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:12).