Free Samples

A week or so ago I found myself in our local Costco Club Membership store on a busy Friday afternoon.  Mind you now, I did not really want to be there at that particular time but I had promised to get my Dad’s hearing aids cleaned and adjusted and it happened to be the only day that I could arrange with our care giver to be with my wife, as it would be difficult for Piper to traverse throughout that big store.  Friday seems to be the day that most shoppers want to be there because of all the free sample that they give out.  Sometimes I think that we live in a “try before you buy” society!  If I had been in a more jovial mood that day, I also may have found myself lining up and indulging at the tables that seemed to be set up on the corner of every aisle in the store!  As it was, I was not feeling tip-top and was a little annoyed when the 15-20 minute wait turned into over an hour and a half…

The area in which we live is known to be one of the premier producers of upscale and fine wines in the country, if not the world.  Our sister county of Napa to the east of us tends to get more attention, but from what I understand, our Sonoma County wines can stand up with the best of them!  I must clarify that due to personal conviction, I do not partake of alcoholic beverages, but having been raised in a 100% Italian family, I was brought up in an atmosphere where fine wines where part of the daily dinner fair.  Therefore I tend to know a little bit about the business.  Having a brother who works in a couple of the better known wineries in the area doesn’t hurt also!  My point here is that the tasting rooms in the many wineries located throughout our county are always filled with tourists and other wine enthusiasts who love to sample the many varieties that each of the wine growers of the region specialize in.  It would seem that our county has many different micro-climates that lend themselves to different and unique varietals of wine.

So you may be wondering with all this has to do with an encouraging word for the day!  Well, it was an explanation in one of my commentaries that sent me off in this direction!  Our scripture from yesterday stated: “Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him.”  (Psalm 34:8 God’s Word ©)  It would seem that Christians just like everyone else like to taste or sample the goods.  David encourages us to taste and/or sample to see how good the Word of God is, just like the crowds at Costco or the wineries in my home county like to do with the variety of products that they offer for sale.

Now you might ask yourself, “How do I sample the Word.  By reading it, by going to church and listening to it preached, or by turning on my favorite televangelist and watching him or her on T.V.?”  Well, not exactly.  That would be like listening to the individual demonstrating the new product at one of the sample tables at Costco and then walking away without tasting it for yourself!  The way that we taste or sample the word of God is to put it to use!

Charles Spurgeon in his famous treatise of the book of Psalms, “The Treasury of David” commented that: “Faith is the soul’s taste!”  He continued by saying: “They who test the Lord by their confidence always find Him good, and they become themselves blessed.”  By our actions of faith we sample the goodness of God!  Our confidence and subsequent actions of faith in His Word brings the sweetness of success into our lives, while the absence of these actions will produce a sour stomach… so to speak!

Therefore, if you long to taste the goodness of God, you must learn of His many promises of provisions for the whole man (or woman!) spirit, soul and body, and then step out in faith in order to receive His sweetness.  Sounds pretty tasty to me, in fact my spiritual stomach is starting to growl!   I think I’m gonna go open up my Bible and take some free samples… want to join me?  Have a great day.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What GOOD THINGS am I expecting today?”