I made some bruschetta last night and used garden-fresh tomatoes. That glorious flavor exploded in my mouth! My deprived taste buds thanked me, and begged for more. Those of you who love tomatoes are familiar with this sensation. All winter long we suffer with the “store-bought” variety. Yeah, they look likes the real thing, but when you take a bite, that wow factor is definitely missing. You shouldn‘t be surprised to know that God revealed an analogy between those two kinds of tomatoes to me. There was a time in my life when I didn’t like tomatoes, of any kind. When I finally tried one in a salad, it was blah, but tolerable, and I ate it. Whenever they were served, I’d eat them, but they certainly weren’t a favorite. Years later, when I moved to our farm, my mother in-law brought in some sun-warm, ripe ones. Having never experienced the “real thing” I almost turned it down. Why bother with those flavorless things, they aren’t worth cutting up, I thought. She encouraged me to try a bite, saying that they would be different, and man was she right, there was no comparison OK, here’s the analogy. Attending some church services can sure seem like eating a hot-house tomato; it looks genuine, has the same color and consistency as the garden fresh ones, but it falls flat in the “taste” department. In my own life, I have attended churches like that, and would have assumed that all were similar. I could have endured, or worse yet, given up, but God wanted me to experience what genuine worship was, the product of what He had picked from his heavenly garden. I was dubious, but once again I was proven wrong; it was divine!!! Hearing God’s word explained, with enthusiasm, was like that first taste of a real tomato, and I was addicted from that point on. Are you merely enduring? God offers us the fresh, juicy authentic, believe me it does exist, why settle for anything less! “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8
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