Losing
Your Crunch
3/9/14
Interesting
concept huh, losing your crunch, but let us take a bit and examine this example
and see just what it means to our lives. God chose Jesus to come to
the earth for a reason and to fulfill a goal for humanity. Jesus
also charged His Church with a special mission and calling which created a
unique opportunity for all of us to complete. Still the majority of
the Church has not done its part in fulfilling this mission nor have we any
desire to either. Is a lazy hearted Church the type of stance Jesus
would have taken towards the lost? We
have blended into the world instead of being the salt of the world and this one
condition has effectively wiped out the Church’s effectiveness to complete the
mission that is before us.
The
examples God has given to share with you concerning this topic have been
enormously wonderful. It is my desire to
share everything with you and in order for me to accomplish this I am breaking
the topic up into two parts. The first
part is just as important as the second part so I ask you to read both parts so
that we all can understand what God is sharing with us. Part one is considerable shorter that the
second but both contain vital information.
I do
not know how many people have placed the Church and our lives into this
category but this topic serves a very important area of our lives that we need
to keep in our forebrains. Because if we
lax in any area of this magnitude we automatically subject ourselves to
infiltration from our enemy and then have the potential to become blinded to
the truth. And when we are blinded in
any form we are then sitting ducks for further lies and temptations that can
lead to devastating attacks down the road.
I will use two relatively common examples in this article and each one
of these examples actually uses the laws of the environment to prove that these
examples do occur and how these concepts can be introduced into our lives. A few days ago I finished an article about
the two kingdoms that we knowingly or unknowingly deal with each day and how
that while they are both present in our lives they cannot mix in any way, shape
or form. If you have not read that
article I ask that you do so that this topic will be easier to understand and to
follow.
All
of us like to have a tasteful dinner.
Great food and side dishes make up the best portions of our dietary
intake and when humans partake in these settings we like to make sure that all
bases are covered. A big portion of my
growing up years included a place known as Texas. Texas is famous for many things and
southwestern style cooking is one of them.
I remember enjoying this type of cuisine many times while I lived there
and even up to this day there are times that I crave the flavor of this type of
food. All of us can relate to these
types of cravings and even though yours might be of another ethnic origin there
is nothing wrong with indulging yourself when these attacks occur providing
your stomach has the necessary defense mechanisms in place to properly digest
the source.
In
our house when this type of food is served we make sure that the main course is
always accompanied by certain condiments and side dishes. A “staple” condiment that is present on our
table is our homemade salsa which is copiously applied to most of the sides and
the main dish when this setting is presented.
A popular side or addition with the main course is chips, with almost
any kind of regular unflavored corn chip or flavored chip brands being subject
to annihilation and cannot be left out while the consumption process is in
progress.
A
short time ago this type of setting graced our family table. Everything was neatly prepared by my wife and
her timing was right on schedule with everyone being present and accounted
for. The family sat down and we promptly
said a prayer of thankfulness for the food and then as soon as the word “amen”
came from one of my daughter’s lips, the free-for-all began. Every item was quickly passed around the
table and each one of us had the opportunity to accept or to deny what was
being served. After the main course and
sides were passed around then began the parade of condiments and chips. I was the lucky one who got to start the
chips portion of this parade so I grabbed the bag that was closest to me.
The
bag of chips that was at the table had already been opened which for the most
did not serve as a problem because it is normal to have an open bag of chips in
our house. Hips are not just for the
dinner table because some of us have a huge weakness when it comes to having
chips and salsa as an evening snack.
Anyway, I opened the bag of chips and reached in and took a small
handful of chips and them carried to the table and them set them down until I
was ready to use them one at a time. The
bag was half full which told me that the bag had not been opened for too long
and that the quality of the chips should not be in question. I then motioned to my daughter who was
sitting next to me by slightly moving the bag in a back and forth
direction. She was busy placing another
condiment item on her sides and refused the bag. After gesturing to the others at the table it
was clear that no one else wanted chips so I rolled the bag back up and placed
it back on the flood and out of the way.
I
then proceeded to take my first chip into my right hand and then took my fork
and placed in into the food on my plate with my other hand. The first bite of food reached my mouth and
of course it was hot with fire so I immediately raced the chip into my mouth
for some type of relief. I crunched down
onto the food and the chip and at that moment I heard no crunch protruding from
my mouth. I could hardly believe my ears
and taste buds. As soon as I swallowed
the food that was in my mouth I quickly grabbed another chip and put it in my
mouth to see if I had just randomly chose a dud or if the chips that I had
obtained from the bag were in the same category as the first chip.
As I
grabbed the second chip and put into my mouth utter disappointment came over my
face because it was then that I realized that the entire bag of chips were in
the same condition as the first chip.
They had lost their crispness and even their flavor and taste. There was nothing good or appealing about
them any longer so I picked up the bag and was going to try one more before
throwing them away. By now the
inhabitants around the table understood what I was doing and everyone had their
eyes glued to what I was about to do next.
The
taste and texture of the third chip sealed the deal for the entire bag in which
I immediately reached for the remaining chips that I had placed on the table
and in one methodical motion placed each one of them back into the bag. The third chip never made it past my mouth
and it came out almost as quickly as I had placed it into my mouth and thus it
was obvious that the three chips that I had chosen proved that it was no fluke
that the first chip was bad and that the entire bag had followed suit. I knew that no one else would have anything
to do with this bag of chips and that my wife would not use them for any reason
so it was time for them to go into the trash.
What a waste I thought to myself as I was heading over to the trash can
but it seemed like there was nothing else to do with them. The environmental changes to their original
condition had taken its toll on their consistency and their fate was sealed.
There
was no reason to become upset at the chips for their lack of taste, consistence
and flavor because it was a human that had opened the bag and had taken out a
sample. I can guarantee that the chips
were in great condition immediately after opening and probably had a wonderful
taste. It is at this point to where this
example comes into play about the condition of the Church and how she has lost
her crunch. When the chips were
originally placed into that individual bag it was totally sealed and would not
allow any other outside forces to invade it unless that seal was broken at some
future time. At the time that the seal
was broken the chips became subject to the atmosphere and all of the
surrounding conditions that it encountered.
Now I understand and recognize that chips cannot feel anything nor can
they have any say in how their environment changes, but they are present in a
sealed state and when that state changes their status has no choice but to
respond accordingly to their new “living” conditions.
DLB
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