Nick Poindexter

My style's like a chemical spill

Month: February 2011

Taste And See

February 25, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
-Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

I love being at the grocery store on days when they are giving away free samples of food. My stomach gets fed and who knows? Maybe I’ll discover a new favorite I wouldn’t have considered otherwise. It’s really a brilliant marketing strategy. The companies are basically saying, “We believe we have a good product. To prove that, give it a taste.” They are challenging the shoppers to take a chance and try it for themselves.

In Psalm 34, the author David is sharing that the Lord is good. And if you don’t believe it, then he says to just taste and see for yourself.

I think it’s interesting which of the five senses was used in this verse. Putting your faith in something you just have to hear, smell, touch or see is a relatively safe gamble. If you hear something that’s irritating, you can cover your ears. If you smell something disgusting, you can pinch your nose. If you touch something unpleasant, you can wash your hands. If you see something unattractive, you can look away. Yeah, there might be some short-term discomfort with each of those scenarios, but no harm, no foul.

But when you actually taste something, you are taking a chance. What you eat is either going to be beneficial for you, or it is going to harmful. If the result of the test is bad, it might leave a gross taste in your mouth or make your stomach hurt. Or, if you’re not so lucky, what you ate could even poison and kill you. And that’s the thing with tasting… Once the act is done, there’s no turning back.

Whether you’ve thought about it before or not, tasting is serious business.

That’s why it’s so important that we understand the psalmist’s word choice here. He didn’t say to simply listen, sniff, feel or look… There’s no real risk involved there. He said to trust the Lord, go out on a limb and taste his goodness directly.

You see, you’ll never know just how delicious that food is on the shelf next to you is until you take that first bite.

Likewise, God is daring us to give him a try so he can prove that he is good indeed. He’s declaring, “Don’t take my word for it… You’ve got to experience it firsthand. Trust me completely with your life. Follow me obediently with your heart, soul and mind. Surrender your will exclusively to me. I stand by my product… I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

Just taste and see.

I Will Always Love You

February 15, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Then the Lord said to me, “Go and love your wife again, even though she commits adultery with another lover. This will illustrate that the Lord still loves Israel, even though the people have turned to other gods and love to worship them.”
-Hosea 3:1 (NLT)

In one of the more bizarre stories of the Bible, the prophet Hosea is told by God to marry a prostitute. Yes, you read that correctly — a prostitute. And her name? Gomer. You can’t make this stuff up! True to her form, this adulterous woman eventually leaves Hosea for another man. You would think that the stress and embarrassment Hosea had suffered would be enough. But no, God tells him to go get Gomer back and love her again anyway. Wow.

As crazy as it sounds, there was a method to God’s madness here. The relationship between Hosea and Gomer was serving as an illustration of the relationship between God and the Israelites. You see, they had become wrapped up in idolatry. Like Hosea, God had been loyal. Unfortunately, like Gomer, the Isrealites had not reciprocated that faithfulness back. But astonishingly, after all they’ve done, God still loves them.

Take a moment and ask yourself this… If you you knew beforehand that your spouse was going to cheat on you, would you still want to marry them? No way! You wouldn’t want to see them, meet them, talk to them, or probably even know their name. You wouldn’t want anything to do with them!

Hosea knew ahead of time that Gomer was going to be unfaithful to him. And in the same way, God knew that we, his people, were going to be unfaithful as well. He knew we were going to put other things ahead of him. He knew that we were going to worship other idols. But God still chose to love us and want to be in a relationship with us anyway. God’s love for us is beyond comprehension!

Just like he did for the Israelites through Hosea, God continues to send us a message of his incredible love. Day after day, he is whispering to us…

I have always loved you, I still love you, and I will always love you. Yes, even you and your sin-filled past. I don’t care what you’ve done or where you’ve been… Nothing can make me stop loving you.

I will always love you.

Always.

Even If He Does Not

February 10, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
-Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)

In Daniel Chapter 3, the mighty King Nebuchadnezzar has created a 90-foot-tall gold statue and ordered everyone to bow down to it. The alternative? Being thrown into fiery furnace. Despite the threat, three Jewish men who were serving as officials in Babylon — Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego — refused.

When confronted by the king and given one more chance, amazingly the men don’t recant on their convictions. They actually take it one step further and emphatically say that their God can save them. They also add that even if he does not, it makes no difference. The three make it clear that regardless of the circumstances, their God is entitled to their uttermost trust. And because of that, they are not bowing down to anything other than God himself.

Think about the situation… These men were about to die at the hands of a godless king. With their lives on the line, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had every reason to question God’s timing and deliverance. But even in a moment of extreme turmoil, they stood true to the God that they knew and followed. The God that saves and rescues… And the same God that sometimes performs in ways we can’t even begin to fathom.

I think we’ve all been there before too. Life is full of those “furnace” moments. While your life may not be in any real danger, your character, finances or relationships may be. And God might intervene on your behalf in the midst of your struggle… Or he might not.

It’s easy to be steadfast to God when he does. We shout. We celebrate. We praise.

But we must also have complete trust in God’s goodness during the times when we have absolutely no idea how he is going work. Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, we must have confidence that just because God could, doesn’t mean that he should.

For we know that our God is able. It’s our job to be faithful.

Even if he does not.

The Curtain Is Torn

February 1, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
-Matthew 27:50-53 (NLT)

As Jesus dies from his crucifixion, the Gospel of Matthew records the occurrence of three miraculous phenomenons. First, the Temple curtain was torn in two. Next, there was a major earthquake. Lastly, dead people came back to life.

I think the latter two are easier for us to wrap our modern-day mind around. I don’t care what culture you are living in, if a huge earthquake hits the moment someone dies and suddenly you’re seeing deceased people walking around town, then you would know for a fact that something colossal had taken place. But a curtain being torn in two? It’s an inexplicable event for sure… But why is that a big deal?

To fully understand the significance of the curtain, you have to understand the architecture of the Temple. The building, which housed the presence of God, was divided into three main areas: the courts, the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. Also, the further you went in, the more exclusive the access became. The courts were for the average Jews, the Holy Place was for priests only, and the Most Holy Place could only be entered by the high priest once a year, on the Day of Atonement. And separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was a curtain.

But this wasn’t just any curtain. This extravagant cloth was 60 feet tall by 30 feet wide and thought to be around 4 inches thick! It is said that it weighed so much that it took 300 men to carry it!

So when Jesus gives up his spirit and the curtain of the Temple is split, it was way more than a physical, supernatural occurrence. This was a symbolic event showing that the separation between God and man was gone. It didn’t matter whether you were a Jew, a priest or the high priest… The barrier was permanently eliminated for all.

Regardless of who you are or what you’ve done, it is imperative that you know that nothing is standing between you and God. Jesus Christ, our high priest, entered the Most Holy Place, atoned for our sins once and for all, and then ripped the curtain in two.

The barricade is destroyed. The roadblock is removed. Access to God is eternally available.

Thank you, Jesus.

About Nick

// Disciple of Jesus

// Husband of Twinkle

// Daddy of Blaise, Justice & Trinity

// Teaching Pastor of Collide Church (Yadkinville, NC)

// Lover of 90s music/television, useless trivia, Cheerwine, Krispy Kreme & Chick-fil-A

// Fan of the Tar Heels, Panthers, Hornets & Braves

Calendar

February 2011
S M T W T F S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728  

© 2024 Nick Poindexter

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑