Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: For Foodies


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Apples and Oranges

Scripture for Today: II Samuel 7:22 “How great You are, Sovereign Lord!  There is no one like You, and there is no God but You, as we have heard with our own ears.”

“It’s like comparing apples and oranges.”  The expression has been around a long time to mean that two items are incomparable, being so different.  But in fact, the expression does not hold up too well as both the apple and the orange are sweet.  Both are similar in size, weight and shape.  Either fruit can be eaten or juiced.

Today’s verse points out that no one can compare to our unique God.  It goes further to say that there is no God but Him!  In today’s pluralistic society, this is not a popular thought.  It is a much more comfortable thought that each person can worship their own God, whoever he may be.  In allowing for this we can agree that our gods may be different and we can choose the one that most fits our style.  We can even be content in comparing apples and oranges, not being concerned with the slight differences.

How can we say there is only one God and that there is no one like Him?  We do not say this, He does!  His greatness and power are incomparable!  In fact, trying to compare other gods with Him is ludicrous, as there is no other god in existence but Him.  They are all just a figment of human imagination, or the creative wood carvings of man.  They have no power.  They are not all-knowing or eternal.  They are not in every place at once.  To trust in them is to lean on a spider’s web.  They will not hold us up. (Job 8:14)

Thank you Lord, for being the only Sovereign incomparable God.

 


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Jello

Scripture for Today: I Peter 5:10 “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Jello leaves me feeling ambivalent.  On the one hand it is very versatile.  Anything and everything can go in it and it can take on so many forms and shapes.  On the other hand, it is slimy and unnaturally colored.  It wobbles and slithers and is usually too sweet for me.  The French as a rule do not want to even try it, so perhaps they have influenced me over the years.  Too many times, I have unmolded a jello only to have it not be firm enough to hold the shape!

Our verse for today promises strength, firmness and steadfastness.  It is a promise directed to those who are called by God’s grace and belong to Him.  This promise is always needed but especially so after going through a time of suffering.  I am not firm and steadfast in the middle of trial.  I am like that jello, all wobbly and ready to slide off the plate.  No one stands strong when their legs feel like jello!

The suffering we go through is usually unexplainable.  The only thing I know with certainty is that it is unavoidable.  My comfort is that God uses it.  The pain is never wasted.  It is through suffering that I draw closer to the Lord and learn to love Him more.  Sometimes my suffering is used to encourage others.  In any case, it is to be counted a privilege to suffer for Him as He suffered so much for me!

What comfort to know that He personally restores me and renews my strength!  Thank you, Lord.

 


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Sourdough Bread

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 30:8 “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”

There must have been five million different kinds of bread in France! There were different grain combinations, different densities, and different shapes.  Each region had their own specialties with recipes going back generations.  There were differences between baguettes in our own town depending on the bakery.  But one bread I could never find was sourdough bread.  For whatever reason, the French did not sell this variety.  Perhaps they felt the flavor would fight with the cheese.  And of course, because I could not get it I craved it more than all the others!

Our verse for today is about contentment.  The author of this proverb realized that too many riches did not make for a happy life.  And having nothing at all can create all kinds of discontent.  Somewhere in the middle there is a contentment possible with only the basic needs provided.  Having our daily bread is a luxury for some and yet in our affluent society, it is so easy to take it for granted.  Having so many choices of bread in France turned out not to be enough for me.  What a picture of discontentment!

Having too much or too little can lead to lies and falsehood to get what we want.  Having much somehow leads to craving more.  Staying in this frame of mind can make it easy to bend the rules, cheat a bit or defraud others.  Having too little can lead to lies and falsehoods in a desperate attempt to get ahead.

Where is my middle ground?  Could I honestly repeat this prayer?  Lord, “give us this day our daily bread” and with it may I find contentment in You.


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The Artichoke

Scripture for Today: Deuteronomy 6:5 “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

The artichoke was something I avoided as a child.  I actually did not mind peeling off the leaves and scraping them off with my teeth.  But when I arrived at that hairy center, I was repulsed and would not cut out and eat the artichoke heart.  My siblings were thrilled and would argue over who got to eat it!  They were happy to eat it without all the work of peeling off the leaves.

Our verse for today is a commandment often repeated in the Old Testament.  It is repeated in the New Testament as well.  The Lord wants us to love Him with all our heart.  He wants our entire being to respond to Him.  Half measures do not mean so much.  A divided heart does not have as much value to Him.  He gives His all to us and the only possible response is to give our all to Him in return.

My problem is that I think I am giving Him my heart when perhaps I have only given Him a part.  Being humbled and tested is the only way I can really know if I have given Him all my heart.  The Lord led the Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years in order to know what was in their hearts (Deut. 8:2).  My difficulties today serve the same purpose.  Each problem peels off another outside leaf and the heart is more and more exposed.  It is in the midst of suffering or loss that my heart is revealed.  Will I only love Him when times are good?  Do I only love Him when my desires are met?

Lord, may my heart be completely Yours today.

 


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Just Deserts

dessertunnamedScripture for Today: Psalm 103:10 “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.”

I really thought I deserved this dessert.  I had ordered only fish and vegetables and so I figured I could indulge just a little.  After all, it was just dessert!  I had no idea it would be quite this big.  However, with three others helping, it was no problem!

The phrase, “getting your just desert” dates back to the 13th century, and its meaning was “a thing deserved” whether good or bad.  The original spelling used only one “s” referring to the obsolete meaning of  the word, “desert” or that which is deserved.  Today one sees this phrase with the two “s” spelling.  It makes more sense to me as I sometimes think dessert is my due!

Our verse for today is a wonderful reassurance that I do not get my just desert from the Lord.  If I were to insist on the justice I deserve, I would be in big trouble.  Certainly, God is just.  His justice was satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice for sin on the cross.  Because  Christ paid the penalty for sin, I am not repaid for my own.

I am so thankful that God does not give me what I deserve!  I am spared His wrath and punishment.  His grace is amazing!  This psalm tells me of His compassion.  He is gracious and slow to anger.  His love for me is as great as the distance to the heavens! (verse 11)  His love is so wide, so long, so high and so deep that it is immeasurable! (Eph. 3:18)  I absolutely do not deserve that kind of love!

Thank you Lord, that You do not give me my just desert.  Thank you for Your incredible mercy and love!