Less Filling...

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you.  For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” - Hebrews 12:5-6 NLT

 

Remember that commercial from back in the day whose tagline was "Less filling, tastes great?"  Sadly, there are a few modern day houses of worship who have lost their original purpose and have diluted the Word down to suit their own needs to where it's "Less filling, tastes great!"  Jesus didn't say that the Word was always going to feel good, in fact it is likened to double-edged sword, which I know doesn't feel good when it's doing its work!  The Word is often like a medicine, and medicines don't often taste good.  As long as it does the work it was sent to do, I don't think we should be as concerned about the initial unpleasant taste; the healing will last much longer than the unpleasant taste.  

 

Being disciplined by God's Word doesn't feel good, especially if it comes at a time we feel is inconvenient; that will often leave a bad taste in our mouths.  But, if we receive the correction in the love it was wrapped in, it will be health to our flesh and strength to our bones.  We will be filled with His love, His grace, His guidance, His wisdom, His Holy Spirit.  But if we dilute the Word, and tailor it to match our moods, or edit it to garner larger congregations or donations, then we not only do God a great disservice, but we endanger the very lives of the people to whom we are to be ministering.

 

Everyone needs the entire Word preached to them, not just what suits their mood at the time.  Just because it may initially make us cry doesn't mean it's not good for us.  Think of it like a baby getting a vaccination.  Any parent knows the agony they and the infant go through when the child gets its first vaccination.  Oh, the pain and screaming, and that's not just from the infant!  But the pain is temporary, the fever and the tears are temporary, but the protection that it offers to the health of that child against some of the most miserable or crippling of childhood diseases are worth the initial day or two of misery.  I know that there are some controversies now about some vaccinations, but for the most part, they are prophylactics against some devastating childhood diseases.  Such is the Word of God.  If we take it as medicine, and fill up on it, then we are protected against so many of the enemy's attacks of which we are never aware.  Sure, sometimes God will show us from what He protected us, but I think that most of the time, we go through life blissfully unaware of some of the things from which God protected us.

 

Now, I know that I'm not the only one who can also testify to the pain and regret of "catering" the Word to a particular need, and being gravely disappointed when God didn't come through the way we had thought He would.  If we had read or heard the entire Word meant to address the situation, there would have been no disappointment because we would have been led down the correct path of expectation from God.  So vital is the need for the entire, unadulterated Word of God, because there are so many of us walking around embittered because of disappointment in a God we never took the time to really understand.  If we really admitted to it, there are some areas in our lives where there are unanswered questions simply because we didn't take the time to sit with God to get the complete plan.  He was willing to give it to us if only we had been willing to sit and listen. Taking medicine isn't always an instantaneous "spoonful," sometimes it requires a period of "intravenous feeding."  I'm not saying that everything has an immediate or ready explanation, but taking the medicine will prepare us for those as well, knowing that sometimes healing takes time; that not everything happens instantly.

 

Let us focus on imparting the entire Word to make it "filling," not worrying about whether or not it tastes great.  Let's leave the commercials to the world's minds.  We are instructed to set our minds on things above; in doing so we will be filled