Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Milk and Honey
* Scripture: The Lord said, "So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey." (Exodus 3:8a, NKJV)

Living things come in many forms, from the microscopic, one-celled amoeba to the multi-ton elephant and whale. We all share one common trait (yes, people, too!) We require nourishment to sustain life. We eat.
People can, and do, live almost anywhere. Anywhere that there is an adequate supply of food, that is. This may come as a shock to many urbanites, but supermarkets do not create our food. Food comes from the land, fertile, productive land. The phrase "land flowing with milk and honey" is repeated numerous times in the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, holding forth the promise of not just a safe haven, but also the promise of a sufficient and sustainable food supply.
The people of the Exodus often complained to Moses and Aaron that their new-found freedom was leading them to starvation. They hungered for the familiar foods of Egypt, even if it meant a return to slavery. In reality, they did not lack food. The Lord provided sustenance to the people in the form of manna and quail. They also had access to meat and milk from the flocks they took with them (See Ex. 12:32.)
The Lord had promised Abraham that his descendants would have a land to call their own, a "land flowing with milk and honey." Moses sent out a band of men, leaders chosen from each tribe, to survey or 'spy out' the land they were to occupy. I find it to be interesting that they did not bring back examples of milk and honey from their foray.
Instead, we read that "they came to the Valley of Eschol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs." (Numbers 13:23, NKJV)
Livestock must have grass to eat, and where there is vegetation wild bees will be found, adding honey to their diet. So, in a sense, they already had their milk and honey. They were, however, strangers and sojourners in the land through which they traveled.
Fertility and fruitfulness were highly valued in Biblical times, indeed, in much of the world even today. Pastures feed the flocks of even a nomadic people. Fruit trees, however, and fields of grain require permanence. No more wandering, no more transportable tent dwellings. A place to call home!
A good and large land, indeed, with the fertility and resources to not only support agriculture, but to also raise families and build a great nation - and to live as God's people.
Many people today have their "milk and honey" - God's word and access to Him - but are like sojurners in the wilderness. They need to find a place to call home, a good, supportive church home, to fully live as God's People.
July 16, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Nourishment
* Scripture: Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Mt. 3:4, NKJV)
Paul wrote, “I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it.” (1 Cor. 3:2)

All of God’s creatures require nourishment to sustain life. The types of food and the means of acquiring it are indeed wondrous and varied. Some require specialized diets, such as the koala bear, that eats only eucalyptus leaves. Others will eat almost anything that they can get on the outside of. Human beings are “everything eaters” (omnivores) except for maybe three year olds, who have a very selective diet. Teenagers also have definite preferences, tending toward pizza, burgers, and pop - but mostly whatever is within reach.
Styles of eating also vary a lot, from the dainty “peck like a bird’ of formal society to “tip the bowl and toss it in” characteristic of some cartoon characters. Proper society and manners have well established rules for ‘dining,’ including the order in which foods are served, the utensils to be used, and the manner in which they are to be employed. So you either pick at your chicken portion with a fork, or . . . you grab it with both hands and go at it!
From the largest to the smallest, the fussiest to the slob, all are provided for by God.
God also provides “The Word” that feeds mankind spiritually, as stated by both Jesus and Paul. Neither speaks of how we acquire or consume this spiritual food, though. Obviously, we don’t pick it from a tree, of dig it from the ground - or do we?
A lot of things set me to thinking about God’s Word, comparisons between God’s earthly realm and the heavenly one. This time it happened as I was watching our sheep graze, while I leaned against the truck waiting for the water trough to fill. They don’t just stand and eat; they grab a mouthful here, and another mouthful there, all the time moving across the pasture, choosing among the choicest grasses. So, to graze is to eat small amounts of various foods several times a day.
There is another definition for ‘graze,’ however; to touch lightly in passing.
The livestock guard dog, who lives with the sheep, gets one meal a day, and gulps/gobbles it down, then spends hours digesting her food.

Here is your assignment for the week: think about how you typically receive the Word of God.
A 'grazer' (noun) in the sense of getting small amounts several times a day, choosing among the choicest available writings.
A 'grazer' (verb) passing or missing God’s word unless it smacks you head on.
A 'gulper/gobbler' who loads up and then meditates over time.
The 'child', not yet ready to receive Paul’s solid food.
The “three year old” who mostly says “No!” - somewhere between milk and solid food.
The 'teenager', who devours as much of God’s Word as comes within reach.
And as to the “mealtime” - Formal ‘dining’ (ritualized worship) compared to free structure, perhaps ‘contemporary’ services, or ‘fast food’ style
Have fun thinking! And - bon appetit!.
July 3, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV)

Let’s begin by forming an image of a stool in your mind’s eye. What do you see? How many legs does your stool have? If you envision the dictionary definition of a stool, it will be a seat without a back or arms, typically resting on three or four legs or on a single pedestal.
Most single pedestal stools are fastened to the floor, such as you see at a lunch counter. It is otherwise hard to sit upon and balance a stool with only one support, not counting the other two legs supplied by the person sitting upon it. But it can be done.
Likewise, a two-legged stool also is rather unwieldy; who would want one? Easy to take a pratfall.
Three legs solve the problem of balance, and make for a freely movable seat. More legs, however, do not necessarily equal perfection. Consider what happens if one of four legs is a teeny tiny bit of a different length from the others, or the supporting surface is uneven. Wibble-wobble! A three legged stool is a member of the tripod family, much used by photographers and surveyors, among others, for stability.
So let’s take the idea of a three legged stool as a basis for a good, workable and adaptable support for, well, life. What else comes with three good supports?
Well, our ability to cope with the world around us depends upon knowledge, understanding, and wisdom. Knowledge is like that stool. You see it, you know what it looks like, its shape, color, size. But what good is it if it just sits there, unused.
We can put that stool to use if we understand that we can sit on it, to rest our weary legs. That is what it is for.
Wisdom is sitting on it with the legs pointing down.
Jesus went into a desert place at the beginning of His ministry, where He was tempted by the devil. Satan offered the fasting and hungry Jesus a sandwich, which he refused, because it didn’t have pickles. You know this because I said so. You would be wise, however, to get the true story by checking it out at Matthew, chapter 4. Be sure that you understand the importance of verse 10. See how and why you need all three - knowledge, understanding, and wisdom?
Our temporal earthly body is somewhat like an engine. Engines require fuel to function. Mechanical engines may be gasoline, diesel, electric, or even steam powered. Knowledge that you must replenish the energy supply isn’t enough; a gasoline engine doesn’t do well on diesel, and that diesel engine will get a real bang out of gasoline. Do you understand this?
Wisdom says that you will use the right fuel, in the right amounts, for whatever engine.
Our bodies require fuel to function. Not only is it important what we eat, but also when we eat, and how much we run the ‘engine.’
Eating too little or too much is like sitting on a one legged stool. It is hard to keep a balance. Fad diets ignore this bit of wisdom. There are basically three things that happens to every bit of food we consume. It can be converted to energy to keep us going; it can be eliminated from the body; or it can be stored. Looking around, I can see that there is a whole lot of storage going on.
Some people just don’t want to think about making any changes in their lifestyle, whether it is a health issue in this world, or spiritual truths about God’s kingdom in the eternity to come. Another important tripod is a sound mind in a sound body, with the third leg being a well-nourished soul or spirit.
Paul suggests that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. However, that is only one Leg of what we call the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hopefully, our temple is supported by all three.
Sad. So many left ‘outside’ because they see, but do not perceive, and hear but do not understand - and lack the wisdom to change.
January 10, 2010

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite. Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food. Proverbs 23:1-3, NKJV)

Deceptive food? I have heard the phrase, “Death by chocolate,” but I have also heard how a little dark chocolate is good for you, so surely that can’t be life threatening. So what is deceptive food?
Maybe gluttony - excessive appetite - which is on the Biblical ‘No-no’ list. In fact, gluttony is on the list of ‘Seven Deadly Sins’: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth/laziness, Wrath, Envy, Pride.(1)
Leading off, Lust is an inordinate craving for the pleasures of the body. Gluttony is an inordinate desire to consume more than that which one requires – excess in eating and drinking: “for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (Proverbs 23:21).
Derived from the Latin gluttire, meaning to gulp down or swallow, gluttony (Latin, gula) is the over-indulgence and over-consumption of anything to the point of waste.
Medieval church leaders (e.g., Thomas Aquinas) took a more expansive view of gluttony, arguing that it could also include an obsessive anticipation of meals, and the constant eating of delicacies and excessively costly foods. Aquinas went so far as to prepare a list of six ways to commit gluttony, including:

* Eating too soon.
* Eating too expensively.
* Eating too much.
* Eating too eagerly (burningly).
* Eating too daintily (keenly).
* Eating wildly (boringly).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_deadly_sins

Paul left no doubt as to his opinion of the glutton. In the letter to the Philippians, 3:19, he writes about enemies of the cross “whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame - who set their mind on earthly things.”
But what of the 'gourmet’ label often associated with persons, foods, and dining establishments?
A gourmet is a connoisseur of good food; a person with a discerning palate. Also used to describe a kind or standard suitable for a gourmet : a gourmet meal. a restaurant lauded by the most discriminating gourmets.
A gourmand is a person who takes great pleasure in food; as in: “his brother is a shameless gourmand who is eating us out of house and home.” Also: glutton, overeater, big eater, gobbler, gorger; informal pig, greedy pig, guzzler.
The words gourmand and gourmet overlap in meaning but are not identical. Both mean ‘a connoisseur of good food,’ but gourmand more usually means ‘a person who enjoys eating and often overeats.’ (Definitions of gourmet and gourmand from my computer dictionary, Copyright © 2005 Apple Computer, Inc., All Rights Reserved.)

To taste is to perceive. As to food, the rule favors tasters, but not gobblers. Nevertheless, somebody is sure to find fault with you no matter what you do.
Consider these words from Jesus: “For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is justified by her children.” (Matthew 11:18-19, NKJV)

The best taste of all is this, expressed by the Psalmist: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” (Psalm 34:8)

(1)The Epistle to the Galatians includes a substantially longer list: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, "and such like" (Galations 5:19-21

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: 2 Corinthians Ch. 4
Paul said, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God . . .”
2 Corinthians 4:7, NIV
Tin, glass, plastic - chances are, you bring home some of each kind of container from a trip to the grocery store. Plastic is great for cold processed and packaged items like drinks and dairy products, but you don’t find non-refrigerated or frozen fruits and vegetables in plastic. Why not? Because some food items have to be heated to kill bacteria that would cause the food to spoil, and plastics can’t take the heat! So tin and glass rule the shelves in the room temperature veggie section.
Think about the many years (centuries, millenniums) that food could not be preserved for extended periods of time. Drying and salting were the only options - sometimes a combination of both. Even then, a period of high humidity quickly spoiled the food. Problem enough for the home; difficult to deal with on the road.
By its very nature, an army spends a lot of time on the road. Soldiers have to be fed. No food, no fight. Scrounging the countryside for available food was long a tradition for fighting men. Napoleon, of France, sought for a solution that would enable his army to have rations easily transported wherever the soldiers went. That meant some method of preserving and packaging food so that it would not spoil during long campaigns. Now you might not want to feed an army (one or two teenagers are close) but you can thank Napoleon when you pick up a tin can (actually steel coated with tin) because the method they developed was to seal food in the can, and heat it to the boiling point - Pasteurization!
Yes, Louis Pasteur discovered that heating killed micro-organisms, the things that cause food to spoil. Killing them is not enough, though, but sealing pasteurized food in an air-tight can prevents re-contamination of the food. You folks who put up food in glass canning jars know that.
Now consider the predecessor of tin, glass and plastic. Something people could make from available materials. Jars of clay, fired in a kiln. They were used for centuries for storage and transport of all sorts of things. They find them by the hundreds at old shipwrecks around the Mediterranean Sea. Many reveal the treasure they once held.
They were so common that Paul alluded to Christians as “jars of clay,” holding the treasure of Christ. Paul wrote, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
So each time you reach for the “lowly” container on the grocery shelf, give thanks for that other “container” that holds the treasure preserved for eternity.
July 14, 2002

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “ This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19, NIV
Back in the days when I was gainfully employed, I would join one of the groups in the teachers lunch room to share the latest chit-chat, and participate in the ritual of swapping food. Each person had their likes and dislikes; ingredients of salads got passed around with “I’ll take the olives;” “Give me the peppers,” “Here, you can have the tomatoes.” Different tastes, but no waste.
It is a scientific fact that we do have different tastes. There is a chemical that some people will taste as sweet, to others it is salty, and to others it has no taste at all. It is not surprising that we like some foods, and can’t stand others.
Beyond taste, enter national and familial favorites. Check out the ethnic food section in a large urban supermarket. Oriental, Mexican, Muslim, Italian. Now and then you may sample some other cuisine, but chances are your family has a favorite that appears often on the menu.
In France, escargot sounds like a tasty dish, until you find that it is snails. Sometimes it is better to not translate, or not inquire at all as to the ingredients. Their delight may be my disgust, especially if I know what it is - and it repulses me.
Now look at the other side of the food issue. What do you serve guests, especially if you take into account religious preferences. Jews and Muslims do not eat pork, for example. Fish was made available on Friday for the Catholics in our neighborhood threshing crew.
The sharing of food - a meal - is often one of the highest social interactions. We usually give considerable thought to serving foods that our guests like, if we are aware of their preferences. Certainly, we do not wish to offend by serving food that is repulsive or objectionable to them.
It is not surprising that the highest sacrament for Christians celebrates the Lord’s last meal - Communion. It is the key to the Lord’s sacrifice for us, the gift of salvation. We understand communion, but the World does not.
Now, we may think other folks have some (to us) strange food ideas, but non-Christians may be repulsed by thoughts of partaking of “the Blood and Body of Christ” as a religious sacrament.
As Christians, we should give careful thought to our relationship with our “neighbor.” We need to be prepared to explain exactly why and how this is so important to us, if the opportunity arises. Show the face of Christian love to those who neither know or understand. Be neither judgmental, outraged, nor condescending.
Christians are unique in the world. If we can show Agape love in the toughest of situations, we can stand unashamed before the Lord.
April 21, 2002

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Jesus said, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Mt. 4:10, NIV
There were many gifts given to my granddaughter at her birthday party. Nice gifts, good gifts, given with love.
Jesus is recorded in Matthew 7:11 teaching about giving good gifts. Specifically, a good (parent) would not give a stone for bread, or a serpent for a fish. Luke omits the stone in his version in 11:11-13 (Jesus must have used this illustration many times) and adds giving a scorpion for an egg. Substitutes for food. Deadly and useless substitutes!
Actually, this is the heart of a teaching about asking. Ask, and you shall receive; he who seek finds. . .
Food is one of the most basic of necessities to maintain life. Food is important. But some food is better for health than other choices. (Aren’t we reminded often!) So, as Jesus knew, it is very fitting and proper to ask for food (life sustenance.) He affirms this in the model prayer, Give us this day our daily bread.
Who would give us bad, imperfect gifts? Satan, of course! Mt. 4:1-11 records this very act. Satan offers Jesus a stone and is proud of his gift. “Take it, and turn it into bread,” he tells Jesus. If Satan has the audacity to confront the LORD with such a gift, do not think that he will hesitate to offer worthless and non-edible gifts, and claim, “Hey! Look at what I’ve given you.”
Bad, when he engages in his trickery. Worse when we accept it as a gift.
Bread (food) is not the only issue here, of course. We crave other things as well. Power and authority over others. Fame, prestige, pride. Possessions. Wealth. But most damaging, we will do whatever it takes to obtain these things. We will emulate whatever lifestyle that promises these things. And Satan told Jesus, “I will give you these things if you will fall down and worship me.”
We wouldn’t do that . . . would we??
Any time we accept the world’s message to buy, buy, accept, accept the World’s Way, we are getting bad food. Not just physical bad, but spiritual bad.
Jesus said, One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.
The things of this world, including food and all the other things - stuff- we hanker after serve us only in this world, for better or worse. Satan will give them freely, if we ask.
God knows how to give better gifts, including the gift of eternal life. Ask, and you shall receive.
June 24, 2001