KP at FWPCenter [First Seventh-day Adventist Church of White Plains] – Prayer Meeting – Apr-27-2022
- Bitter Melon
- Durian fruit
- Brussels sprouts
- Avocados
- Olives
What do all these fruits have in common? They are foods that are not labeled ‘love at first bite’. You see, these foods and many others are not easily enjoyed by the majority of individuals who first encounter them. People have to acquire a taste for them before deciding if they will continue eating them. In general, there are at least 5 basic qualities of taste, namely: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and savory (umami). There are researchers that believe there are even more tastes (fatty, metallic, etc) [1]. But even when food items fall into these categories, it isn’t a guarantee that people will enjoy them. While it is true, there are foods that we enjoy immediately, even from the moment we first eat them…but there are plenty of other items that our ‘taste buds’ just don’t take to, until we keep consuming them repeatedly.
So what does taste have to do with our Christian walk? A lot.
As a baby, we are initially exposed to the tastes and flavors our mothers consumed when we were still in the womb. After birth, we started on milk and as we continued developing, we were introduced to more foods; some of which we didn’t enjoy right away and may have even rejected, but with exposure, our tastes changed. My husband hated peanut butter! He dreaded everything about it! But today, there is no other person I know who loves it more. I didn’t like vegetables as a child, I only loved carrots, but as I continued eating them, I fell in love with them!
Like the foods I mentioned earlier, when we are first exposed to The Gospel, we may not have enjoyed its consumption; we may have even rejected it in the beginning. But, once we were converted, and our natures softened by The Holy Spirit, repeated exposure to The Things Of God helped us acquire a taste for spiritual things.
In 1 Corinthians 2:14 it says: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. The word ‘natural’ in this verse is the Greek word psychikos (Psych-ee-kos). Although it literally means ‘of the mind’, it is also translated as sensual and by implication, worldly. This verse is saying our natural selves are worldly and carnal; and they cannot accept anything The Spirit of God gives because they seem foolish. For us to discern or recognize spiritual things, we need spiritual senses.
So what do spiritual senses look like? So what are some tastes that are pleasing to God? Lets looks at 3 things we need to acquire taste for:
1. A Taste for Submission
Independence is a powerful aspect of humanity. From the moment we understand and desire to be independent, we run the risk of thinking we are our own bosses, and we can ‘do whatever we want with our minds and bodies’, but that is not the case. Once we begin walking with God, we realize we are not as independent as we think; we are dependent on Him. The Ninevites are one example of submission. They were a known enemy of Israel, yet God sent the Prophet Jonah to them. After Jonah’s hesitancy, he delivered a solemn message to the people, and the whole nation “… proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them” (Jonah 3:5). The people repented and submitted to God and they were forgiven and saved. (You can read the full account in Jonah 3:1-10). There is salvation in submitting to God; there is protection; there is healing.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own? (20) For ye are bought with a price, therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s” We are not our own; we are bought with the very precious price. We belong to God, and we must learn to humble ourselves and submit to The LORD’s will daily. When we also look at The life of Jesus, we see The Perfect Example of a submitted life. We are called to do and to be the same.
2. A Taste for Sacrifice
To sacrifice means to “surrender [of] something for the sake of something else” [2]. As we experience spiritual growth, we learn the beauty of sacrifice. In the carnal state, we do not care to sacrifice our time, money or resources for others; but with Christian maturity comes sacrifice and the desire to give, not only to those in local areas, but to national and global initiatives as well so that the gospel may go into all the world. Our examples for this point are The Apostles. When we look at how the 12 were called to ministry, they sacrificed their livelihoods, their relationships and their prestige to follow Christ. In Mark 10:28-30 we read about Peter telling Jesus about all he and the other 11 gave up following Him. It says “Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. 29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. Jesus acknowledges that the disciples did leave many things behind to follow Him, BUT He mentioned a greater number of things they would gain in return. There are bountiful blessings in giving and sacrificing.
in John 6:9-13 (the lad who gave his 5 loaves and 2 fishes), Mark 12:42-44 (the widow who gave her two mites to the treasury), and Acts 4:32-35 (the multitude of believers who came together to sell what they have so they could distribute to those in need).
3. A Taste for Service
We are saved to serve. We are called to minister and to work. Just like submission and sacrifice; there must be a shift from wanting others to serve us to wanting to serve others. Our final example is Paul. Although Paul, formally known as Saul, thought he was doing a good thing by defending the Jewish faith from Christianity, after his conversion, he accepted his new calling and became a prominent servant of The King. We see this primarily in The Book of Acts Chapters 11-28 Isaiah 58:10 – And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and Matthew 25:35-40 – For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
As we develop our spiritual tastebuds for these and other aspects of Christianity, our appetite for ungodly things should die out we undoubtedly lose the desire for things we once loved or used to do:
There may have been a time when we uttered perverse and obscene words, but now, only edifying words. James 3:10-12 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. 11 Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? 12 Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers and Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
There may have been a time when we ate whatever we desired, but now, only what is life-giving and acceptable. Leviticus 7:23,26 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Ye shall eat no manner of fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat. 26 Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings and Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
And there may have been a time when we watched whatever was entertaining, pleasurable or popular, but now, only what is true and honest, just and pure (as stated in Philippians 4:7). Job 31:1 I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? And Ephesians 5:11-12 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. (12) For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
So have your tastes changed since you became a Christian? Can you see it and can others see it in you? Are you enjoying your devotion and prayer times with God, or are you struggling through them with dread and disgust. Has your Bible studies been a delight or are they non-existent? Are you spending more time in The Word or more time on the internet or watching TV? If you are still overloading on worldly calories instead of the meat of the Word, here are some ways to ensure your spiritual tastebuds stay sharp:
- Start with confession (Acknowledge and confess your sins to God, and He will forgive you) – Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. And Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. And 1 John 1:9 which we know very well If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Put away and avoid all known items that corrupt our appetites – Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; And Colossians 3:8-9 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. (9) Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
- Be watchful and diligent – Psalms 141:3 Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. And Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
- And “Consume” what is good – Jeremiah 15:16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts Also Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
So this is your charge; this is my charge. Take inventory of the things you like to eat and drink, and see if you need The LORD to reform your spiritual taste buds. Then, and only then will you be able to say: O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalms 34:8)
Bon appetit!
References:
[1] InformedHealth.org [Internet]. Cologne, Germany: Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG); 2006-. How does our sense of taste work? 2011 Dec 20 [Updated 2016 Aug 17]. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279408/
[2] Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Sacrifice. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice