RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD (Milk & Meat)

As we sat down for dinner this evening (Friday), my 5 year old daughter said grace. She prayed the prayer she always prays when we ask her to say grace: "God is good God is great, let us thank Him for our food, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen." When I began to eat, my wife took a picture. It wasn’t until several hours ago, when I was looking at the picture, that the Holy Spirit gave me a message.

In Japan there are five traditional ways of cooking food: boiling, grilling, deep-frying, steaming and raw. "Raw" is included as a cooking technique because of the preparation that is required. There are usually five colors represented in the meal: green, yellow, red, white and black, and there is a balance of six tastes: bitter, sour, sweet, hot, salty and mild.

The individual dishes are filled to two thirds of their capacity so that the patterns on the plates are not hidden. The Japanese are very meticulous when it comes to food preparation so it’s no wonder that, in 2007, Tokyo had a higher rating than Paris, Hong Kong, New York, LA and London combined.

I am much more excited about spiritual food than I am about physical food so that’s enough talk about that; let’s take this to the next level.

The Holy Bible is our food for the spirit. The Word of God is called milk (1 Corinthians 3:2; 1 Peter 2:2) for the baby Christian and meat (1 Corinthians 10:3; Hebrews 5:11-14) for the mature Christian.

Spiritual food must be apportioned properly to completely satisfy and benefit our inner being. The scripture calls it studying (the Word) to be approved by God and rightly dividing the Word!

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)

Everyone who preaches and teaches the Word of God must study and be approved before God Himself and must rightly divide or share out the Word of Truth. The words "rightly dividing" are translated from the Greek word ORTHOTOMEO, pronounced or-tho-to-me'-ō. It derives from a combination of the word ORTHOS, meaning straight and not crooked, and TOMOS meaning sharper. ORTHOTOMEO refers to cutting it straight and to teaching the truth directly and correctly.

There is no sugar-coating or over-cooking and no going around in circles either. Its clear-cut, to the point, and laid out or displayed correctly. In this sense preachers and teachers are like chefs in a restaurant, carefully seasoning and serving up spiritual dishes and laying them out meticulously so that those who eat will be properly nourished.

The Japanese way of serving physical food is a great example of how preachers and teachers are supposed to serve spiritual food. I LOVE being God's chef for His people.

"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." Colossians 4:6 (KJV)

God Bless You!

FOCUS ON THE INNER YOU

I went to the arcade to play video games today. I played a popular fighting game, won a few rounds but got beaten up pretty bad after that. The avatar I chose was an awesome fighter but I didn't know all his moves. According to the game, I got a 'C' for offense and a 'D' for technique and defense. LOL. Just before I decided not to spend anymore yen I noticed that there was someone sitting behind me waiting to play.

I stepped away from the game and he stepped up. He put in 100 yen, stuck his card in and pulled up a chair. His online profile came up and his avatar was a big fat martial artist. I pulled up a chair and took a seat. I noticed that while he was playing, other persons who were playing online as well came to fight him in his game. He won about four fights with an 'A' rating for offense, 'B' for technique and an 'A' for defense. He was pretty good.

As I watched him play, I was thinking... 'This guy fit the typical nerd profile. His look is a Japanese version of Stephen Hawking (without a disability), while his avatar is this huge, fat martial artist with awesome technique. His avatar is a fighting powerhouse; He obviously isn't one of physical prowess but he knows his avatar's talents and skills thoroughly. He has obviously mastered his avatar. Wow! There's a message in here somewhere.'

THE MESSAGE: As Christians, our physical appearance doesn't necessarily match the profile of our born-again spirits. A mature Christian's born-again spirit, like 92 - year old Reverend Billy Graham, probably looks like body builder Jay Cutler in full Roman Centurion armour. LOL. A person who physically looks like Jay Cutler for example, who has just accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Saviour, has a new born spirit that is just like a baby. That's a HUGE contrast isn't it?

Think about babies for a second here. A new born baby is helpless, vulnerable and its only form of communication is crying. It cries when its hungry, wet or uncomfortable in any way. It cannot eat the same food that adults eat so it has to drink milk. In fact doctors recommend the mother's milk for six months because the mother's early milk is filled with all the nutrients that a baby needs for proper physical and mental development.

For a new born-again spirit, prayer is like crying and the fundamental teaching of the Word of God is milk. The scripture says:

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:" 1 Peter 2:2 (KJV)

The scripture is saying that just like a new born baby, we must long for, desire or pursue with love, the unmixed, unadulterated, pure milk of the word that we may grow, increase or become greater by it. It doesn't matter what our external physical being looks like in stature as long as our internal being, our born-again spirits, are developing and maturing by the Word of God.

"For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 (KJV)

The scripture didn't say that bodily exericse profits nothing, it says bodily exercise profits little but that Godliness is profitable unto ALL THINGS. Godliness has the promise of the absolute fulness of life (that is: ZOE, the God-Life) that exists at this time (and has the guarantee of the eternal celestial body) and the life that is to come.

This experience in the video game arcade has reminded me that my focus must be on my inner man who has been born-again in the image of Christ Jesus and is growing, maturing and being renewed daily in Christ's image.

God Bless you.