“Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8
By Bro. John L. Cash, “Country Preacher Dad”
With today’s higher prices, I’ve been experimenting with generic and store-brand versions of foods that I pack in my lunch. I had gotten away from that some time ago, but something happened a couple of years ago that changed my mind. Do you remember the major recall of peanut butter? Customers were instructed to bring their jars back to the store for a replacement. I found two jars in my cabinet—one was “Peter Pan” and the other was the store brand.
When I took them back to the store, the lady at the service desk showed me something remarkable. Both jars had identical lot numbers, which showed that the peanut butter had been made at the same factory on the same day. They contained the same product. The only difference between the two jars was the labeling—and a price savings of two dollars.
Now, I don’t just automatically buy everything in the generic brand. I have another system. I buy the smallest package of the store brand and take it home and taste it. If it isn’t as good as the regular product (which is sometimes the case) I never buy it again. But if it is just as delicious as the original, well, then I start buying the generic. There is really no reason not to. There’s a good chance it’s a re-labeled version of the original. You only have to taste it to see if it’s as good.
I’m not on any crusade to convert my family, but on some items they’ve made the switch, too. I’m not asking anybody to eat anything that isn’t as good as the original. But, if it’s equally delicious, you might as well buy the better deal. Maybe you could send the money you save to a missionary.You only have to taste it to see if it’s good.
There are a lot of traits we inherited from Adam and Eve that fall under the category of “human nature”. I don’t think a week can pass by without hearing someone expound on a product they don’t like—even though they’ve never tried that product before. That’s just human nature. They’re just not willing to taste it to see.
Now this doesn’t matter much when it’s only a matter of grocery brands, but it becomes very important when we’re dealing with the Lord. Some people don’t have a relationship with God—probably because in their heart of hearts they think they don’t like Him. In today’s text (at the top) David doesn’t condemn people who have that opinion. Instead, he offers a challenge: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” He is confident that anyone who tastes the Lord will not be disappointed. Because He is God, He is truly good. The Psalmist says that a single taste will convince you the Lord is good. Taste and see!
Dear mama, you don’t have a hard assignment this week; open your heart, and taste and see that the Lord is good. Soon you’ll be singing with the hymn writer:
“He saves, He keeps, He satisfies; This wonderful Friend divine; He saves, He keeps, He satisfies; This wonderful Friend of mine!”
Dr. John L. Cash is the “Country Preacher Dad” *Sing that title to the tune of “Secret Agent Man” He was raised in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and is beginning his third decade of being a country preacher in the piney woods five miles south of the little town of Hickory, Mississippi. He and his lovely wife, Susan, and his sons, Spencer (age 18) and Seth (age 14) live in the parsonage next door to the Antioch Christian Church” (where the preacher’s wife likes the store brand of hazelnut creamer, but not the French vanilla). You should write him at extramailbox@juno.com.
