As Good As It Gets

I LOVE the Food Network.

Paula Dean cookin' country-style. Bobby Flay grilling goodies. Rachel Ray working 30-minute miracles. And my personal favorite, Guy Fieri checkin' out drive-ins, diners and dives.

Do I watch them for the recipes? Oh heavens, no, I don't cook. But I do EAT! But that's the problem. I sit in front of the screen and drool over all these mouth-watering meals. And when it's over, I'm still hungry...REALLY hungry. I see, but never taste.

That's what so many of us do in our walk with Jesus. We watch other people experience a delicious life with Christ, but never experience it for ourselves. Psalms 34:8 rings the dinner bell and invites everyone of us to "Taste and see that the LORD is good."

"Good" is such an undervalued word in 21st Century America. It's come to mean the bare minimum. Something that is acceptable but nothing more. But in the languages of the Bible, "good" is well, GREAT! At various times "good" means beautiful, expensive and delightful. It's also an expression of a superlative. To be "good" is simply...the best.

In other words, when King David writes in Psalm 34 that "the LORD is good," he's inviting us to "taste and see: our great God is simply the best."

Scripture gives us Five Facts about God's Goodness.
1-God is good (Matt 19:17). Don't miss the obvious. Jesus Himself is good. As a result, He's the standard by which we measure the goodness of anything else.
2-God performs good (Ps 119:68). Because He's good and does good things, we can put our faith in Him with full confidence.
3-God approves good (Gen 1:31). When our good God calls something good, He's giving it His divine stamp of approval. We can be sure it's good.
4-God supplies good (James 1:17). If it's good, it's from God. He's the source. This should cultivate an attitude of gratitude.
5-God is the ultimate good (Ps 73:25-26). We're all seeking something. We're all created with a "God-shaped vaccuum" that only Jesus can fill. Most of us spend our time seeking a "what" to fill that need. In fact, what we really need is a "who."

The only way we'll every really know God's goodness is if we actually "taste and see" what life with Jesus is really like. Let's stop living vicariously. Jesus is not calling us to a "Food Network faith." He's inviting us to join Him at the table for the greatest meal we'll ever enjoy. John Piper says we must "savor the Savior."

Taste and see that our great God is as good as it gets.

In Christ,
Jay

From a sermon at Freedom River Community Church on July 27, 2008.