Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 11, 2026

Words of Life

“I will proclaim the name of the Lord, Oh, praise the greatness of our God!”  Deuteronomy 32:3 (ESV)

Nothing touches the soul quite like music.  The rhythmic beat of joy keeps us on our feet.  Glorious words of adoration and worship propelling lifted hands high in awe and wonder of our God. Lyrics echo from our lips spontaneously after we hit replay over and over again – embedded in our hearts and minds.

While music engages us it can also serve as great teachers reminding us of God’s faithfulness and truths from His word.  And my fave is to hear the story behind a song – what compelled the writer to compose such impactful lyrics.

Deuteronomy 31 invites us into a pivotal backstory when God gave Moses a song to write down for the Children of Israel.  Moses’ death was drawing near, and the words God gave him were to testify against the Israelites. Knowing the hearts of His people, God was fully aware of their tendency to follow after other gods.   He knew once they stepped foot into the abundance of the Promised Land, they would reject the one true God.

Wow, not exactly the song we’d long to hear right?  Yet Moses gathered the people and recited the words from beginning to end.  We can find God’s lyrics in Deuteronomy 32.  The opening stanzas rehearse the faithfulness and glory of God’s character.  However, the preceding verses unpack the heartbreak of a people who would forget their Creator and pursue lesser gods.  The devastation, wounding and utter demise would follow the Israelites if they didn’t forsake all others and return to God.

When Moses concluded God’s song, I would picture a holy hush over the land. I would imagine stillness as Moses spoke, “Take heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law.”  No idle lyrics – just a profound caution  – God’s words of life.

The Israelites beginning as God’s chosen people didn’t prevent them from choosing disobedience and the pricetag God detailed would be high.  The same is true for us today.  God’s character is unchanging.  His holiness can’t excuse sin.  His righteousness demands justice.  Like the Israelites, we often cling to our God in moments of despair and hardship yet abandon Him when our life is full. We seek other pleasures and dismiss the safety of His laws which form a shield of protection around us.

If God were writing a song today, I wonder what His lyrics would convey about our tendencies to slip into sin and lose sight of His glory.  Would we hit replay over and over again so we wouldn’t forget His truths or would we simply switch to another song better suited to what we want to hear?

Sweet friends, we too would be wise to heed the wisdom of God’s song.  Remembering His character and integrity.  Shouting aloud the glories and wonder of His name so our enemies would cower in fear.  There is no god like our God and He longs for us to cherish His words.  Transforming words intended to birth life instead of death.  What will we choose?

“Father, You lovingly instruct us and warn us of the dangers of pursuing lesser gods which will never serve us well.  May the song of Your heart ever remind us of Your deep abiding love which seeks to position us for Your best.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 10, 2026

Expectant Hope

“If you walk in my statutes and observe my commandments and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” Leviticus 26:3- 4

Sapphire sky, soft breeze blowing, flower beds occupied by brilliant colors and even the birds are vocal in their pleasure for such a glorious day.  The gurgling of tea meeting ice would be perfect right now.  Except that I can think of only one thing: winter.  Yep, winter.  I am originally from Canada.  It may be the most spectacular summer day, but I am aware that winter is around the corner.  I have such a dislike for winter that several years ago, my husband and I moved to Georgia.  Georgia experiences one day of winter each year; perfect for me.  Of course the year we moved, an ice-storm shut the city down for a week.  Our Canadian friends were quick to mock.

Many reflect on the changing of the seasons.  Even the air knows it’s spring, as we plant seedlings in anticipation of growth.  Hoping to find time to relax, in our busyness, we wonder what happened to summer and how can it be that the children must return to school already.  In autumn, our yard foliage is mature with leaves falling to the ground.  It seems like the earth is preparing for a long sleep.  And, in fact, it is.  Winter approaches.  The land is quiet, blanketed in white.

We can do nothing to alter the God-designed cycle of nature.  For this cycle too can be seen in our lives.  My children, emerging young men, keep me challenged and engaged.  Parenting is hard work but with it comes immense joy that is indicative of this season of summer.  As many can attest, shortly, a silenced home will point towards an autumn of remembrances.  Winter resides in my days as well.  Giving up what I once loved reminds me of the harsh realities of frigid temperatures when work is done and the land rests.  But may it rest in wait of the next spring.

May we remember that we are given many seasons  – times when we can explore God’s new gifts.  And yes, spring is evident for the young but can be embraced in our later years as well.

“Father, may You remind me that my seasons can be neither rushed nor held onto beyond their prescribed time.  May I trust that You have ordered each perfectly according to Your plan and purposes.”

For His Glory,

Kathryn Hayman
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 9, 2026

Why Rebuilding Is So Difficult Part 1

“The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the Lord, the God of Israel…Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work.”  Ezra 4:1,4 (NLT)

Have you ever been a part of a natural disaster team?

Several years ago, my husband traveled to South America to help rebuild a town after a sudden earthquake had caused destruction. The town lay in ruins, and many teams were sent out over many years to rebuild piece by piece. He said it was very difficult work. He was part of one of the earliest teams to arrive, and they had a hard time seeing the future of this town because there was so much rubble and so many scattered parts everywhere. Team after team did endure and slowly, but surely, the town was rebuilt. If you were to go today, you would spot a functioning town  and you would be hard pressed to recognize remnants from the earthquake.

Rebuilding after a natural disaster is difficult, but rebuilding after walking through an unnatural disaster is just as difficult. Unnatural disasters referring to betrayal, trauma, abuse, etc. Those hurts that were never meant to be a part of our relationships, like the storms that never meant to be a part of our physical world.

After an unnatural disaster attacks your life, it takes time to heal and rebuild, bleed out and scar up. There may be several teams that stand in the gap-maybe counselors and neighbors when the first wave hits, but as time went on, co-workers, close friends, or maybe new counselors have stepped in to help repair the next layer. Healing takes a village, time, and commitment to the process and to the result.

We see that in scripture as we watch the captives return to Judah and begin to rebuild.

After the Israelites were taken captive in 586 B.C. by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the temple, the city, and the walls of Jerusalem were set on fire, torn down, and completely demolished. After many years of captivity, the Persian king, King Cyrus, allowed some of the Jewish people to go back, assess the damage, and begin to rebuild. This was not an easy task. It took a total of 70 years for the temple alone to be completed.

Oh, the joy that engulfed them, and oh, the pain that surrounded them as they began to move back to their homeland and rebuild.

But first, the old rubble had to be cleared out. They had to clean out, build up, and, then scripture tells us, fight their enemies. What? Fight enemies? This was not supposed to be a part of the rebuilding process. Yet it was because they had people who did not want them to be successful in the rebuilding process. Ezra tells us their enemies continued to try to “discourage and frighten them.”

Isn’t that just like us? Our lives may have had a category 5 hurricane hit, and we are trying our best to clear out the rubble, but we have enemies that try to discourage and frighten us. There are those who want to keep us where we are because it allows them to stay the same. Then we have real enemies – people in our lives who do not want the best for us or only want their own way, and they will try to take us down any way they can. On top of that, we are waging a spiritual war, and it can be hard to keep our eyes on Jesus instead of the rubble, the tools, or the new materials.

Rebuilding is hard. It is exhausting and overwhelming and sometimes seems impossible. So many give up and stay in the rubble. Ezra and Nehemiah give us a blueprint of how to rebuild our lives.

We have to examine our hearts. If we have been through an unnatural disaster, are we ready to rebuild? Are we waiting for someone to free us so we can begin to rebuild? Or are we lying  in the rubble waiting for a sign or the energy or a blueprint?

Where do we even begin?

The good news-we don’t have to do this alone.

For now, think about where you are? Have you been hit by a storm? Are you clearing out? Have you started rebuilding? Are you sitting on a stone hoping help will come?

The thing is, God will meet us wherever our starting point is! No judgment – just a hand reaching out helping us to stand again and wipe the dirt off.

We’ll pick up here next week.

“Father, help my sweet sisters to know Your arm is strong enough and long enough to reach us wherever we are, and You love us enough that You won’t leave us in the dirt.”

For His Glory

Terrie Tollerson (www.TerrieTollerson.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 8, 2026

The Beauty of Church

“I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Psalm 122:1

I often think about the beautiful variety of people in the family of God—those surrendered to Jesus Christ and made children of God (John 1:12-13). Over the past 2000 years and into today, incalculable people groups and types are included—and, as the Apostle Paul said in the first century, we are all one in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26-28). At my church (which is huge), I get to see this glorious spectrum every week And, honestly, since attending this community, my eyes have been even more open to the stunning breadth of my spiritual family…I could fill pages with stories of miraculous ways the Lord has brought unexpecting people through the doors.

But, as noted, our church is in that “mega” category. We have 16 campuses (including 4 within prison walls), and two more about to open, with tens of thousands of people attending in person each weekend at all the campuses. And we’re growing rapidly to impact more cities and states. My husband and I have to remind ourselves not to ever take for granted the hundreds of salvations that happen with an invitation on a single Sunday, as well as the thousands of baptisms per year. God is on the move here.

As exciting as it is to be part of what He is doing through our church and the myriad people, I was reminded recently about the variety of God’s family gatherings—church—and the sweetness of the small. My husband and I traveled to Tampa for his work, and we ended the time at a small downtown church service with new friends. Maybe 60 people at most. (A mere few months ago there were about 5 people, with rotating pastors, so God is on the move here too!) The praise and worship was fire—and so was the sermon.

But then, we got to experience something I almost forgot was a thing. After service, we gathered in the small fellowship hall for a potluck meal. The entire congregation, from an eight-day-old to 80 years. One magician entertained, then another—the second reminding the children (and all of us) who we are in Christ through magic and song. Favorite recipes were shared, including sweet homemade-with-love cake. Oh, but what overwhelmed me most was the sweet spirit of the gathering. Profound joy of the Lord. And a deep bond among once-strangers-now-family, only found through Jesus. In fact, I may not again meet in this life the octogenarian couple we sat across the table from. But I assure you, when I see them in glory, we’ll reminisce about that amazing hummingbird cake at the Concord Baptist Church fellowship.

Praise God for His Church. And churches. Whether it’s my congregation of thousands, an underground church in Iran, a house church in South Korea…or a small—but growing—congregation in downtown Tampa. Whatever church looks like, it’s a beautiful thing.


“Lord, may we—Your Church—not give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25), but be enamored by Your wide spectrum of people. Our brothers and sisters.”

For His Glory

 

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Gratitude, Worship

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 7, 2026

Balanced Vision

“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalm 37:23-24 (ESV)  “My son give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.” Proverbs 23:26 (ESV)

Ever had one of those days when you wanted to rest your eyes for just a few minutes? Lots of computer work, air blowing in my face from my fan, and I was left with tired, dry eyes. I desperately needed some relief. So as my feet maneuvered on the treadmill, I closed my eyes for a moment. Weirdest thing happened – even though I was holding onto the hand bars, I felt my body swaying off balance. Never realized how a slight change in my vision would alter my steps.

Healthy vision and coordination go hand in hand. Vision impairment, especially peripheral vision, can increase the risk of falls. Exactly what I was feeling in those few moments of eye rest on the treadmill. Note to self:  Don’t do that again. Staying focused, eyes wide open serves me well.

Scripture has a lot to say about our vision physically, spiritually and the role it plays in keeping us balanced and moving in the right lane. Problem is we don’t always land there. We often allow our focus to drift and become totally preoccupied with less than. We sometimes lose sight of God’s eternal perspective especially when life hits hard or failure looms big. End result, we can easily fall if our eyes are not balanced on the word of God.

So if you find yourself swaying…..here’s a few nuggets from God’s word aimed to bring you back into alignment:

Proverbs 4:25 – 27 instructs us to let our eyes look straight ahead and our gaze straight before us

Matthew 6:22 – 23 reminds us that the eye is the lamp of the body. If our eye is healthy, our whole body will be full of light. If our eye is unhealthy, our whole body will be full of darkness.

Psalm 119:37 compels us to not zero our focus (vision) on worthless things.

2 Kings 6:17 invited Elisha’s servant’s eyes to be opened and see God’s presence.

Ephesians 1:18 encourages us to have the eyes of our heart enlightened so that we will recognize God’s hope and His glorious inheritance.

Psalm 32:8 is a beautiful reminder that God will instruct and counsel us in the way we should go and His eye is upon us.

Psalm 34:15  births deep inspiration that God’s eyes are on the righteous and His ears toward their cry.

Beautiful words of pivotal truths yet its intent is more than sight – it’s compelling us to see the value in healthy vision aligned with God’s word. Vision in Scripture often symbolizes moral vigilance and our heart’s orientation toward God. It’s a settled intentionality that desires openness to God’s divine wisdom and truth. It’s a posture of a surrendered heart desiring God’s plan and calling versus our own.

Bottom line – healthy vision is crucial to ensuring we don’t miss God’s purposes or dismiss His goodness. So even when we are exhausted, weary and disillusioned, we can ask for God to illuminate our eyes to His hope, promises and redemption. Healthy vision rooted in faith never disappoints.

“Father, keep my eyes fixed and focused on You. Align my heart with your plans and help my vision to stay pure and undefiled by this world.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 4, 2026

When Repeats Can Be Scary

“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusts” Psalm 28:7a (ESV)

Who doesn’t love a good repeat – you know like the happy ending we see in someone else’s life resurface in our own? Gotta admit, I thrive in the midst of familiar, but there’s not a lot of trusting going on if we’re banking on God duplicating their story in ours. Easy to get lost when we are looking for the perfect formula to solve our challenges. Crazy to limit God to only one version of resolve when we would miss out on His best for us.

Maybe you’ve found yourself there – expecting God to react, respond and do the same for you that He did for someone else. Or perhaps, you don’t want the repeat performance. You watch as marriages crumble around you and fear for your own. Similarities start to create confusing dynamics if we zero in on one person’s story and draw conclusions that repeat is about to happen. Perhaps you’re watching friends going through devastating life crisis with health, finances or prodigals and you’re sitting on the edge of your seat just waiting for repeat to knock on your door.

Our story is unique to us and unfolds one chapter at a time. No boring read. No absent characters. We are engaged in our own personal bestseller. Fear will raise its ugly head from time to time, but we don’t have to live paralyzed that a repeated event will touch our lives. While we can certainly learn from other’s experiences and gain valuable insight, we don’t have to walk on eggshells expecting the worst to resurface.

Too much is at stake for repeat performances. God has a strategic plan in place and He knows exactly how all the pieces will fit together. The outcome – well that’s a matter of trusting what we don’t see – sounds like faith to me. Rather than relying on the conclusion of another’s story, we lean in close to God’s character knowing that He loves us, fights for us, strengthens us and is fully capable of meeting all of our needs.

“Father, Your Word sustains us when fear and doubt creep in. Grateful that we are never alone regardless of what the next chapter unfolds.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Faith, Hope, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 3, 2026

Restoration’s Gift

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?  Since He did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?”  Roman 8:31&32 (NLT)

She holds on to the phone waiting for the call that never comes. She determines she must not matter. Another waits by the window sure that he said he’d stop by today. Moved down the list again, she never was a priority. A stranger in her own house, there but unnoticed, nothing special about her. No cries, no arguments, no resistance but somewhere in the depth of her soul is edged a pit that labels her unlovable, damaged and unwanted. And her heavenly Father cries.

Our Father in heaven has given a remarkable responsibility to each earthly father. His assignment is to love and nurture his children into the full will of God. Through compassion and instruction, love and kind discipline, wisdom and patience the father is to lead his children from infancy to adulthood preparing them physically, emotionally and spiritually to blaze paths of light in the world and illuminate Jesus in its darkness. Many fathers strive towards this task. What happens when they don’t?

The unassuming girl sees her father as distant, unavailable and uncaring. For starters. How she sees her earthly father is how she sees her heavenly Father. And of equally tragic consequences, she believes her heavenly Father views her just as her earthly father. I didn’t matter to my earthly father so I must not matter to my heavenly Father. And the sin is passed to the third and fourth generations.

Fortunately, the Lord’s compassion is greater than his curse. And so, sweet daughter of the Most High God, without even knowing you, I can assure you of this:  your heavenly Father longs to hold you close; to protect you, to be near always. He desires to give you the love for which you hunger. He delights to give you every good gift that you’ve inherited for which Jesus died. He thinks of you always. You have great worth, great purpose. He sees you as beautiful. Cherished. Valued. Favored. And you know what? I am too.

“Heavenly Father, thank You for healing the broken places of my heart that only You can heal. Jesus, thank You for enduring death and the cross so that what was withheld can be restored. I love You, my Abba, Father”

For His Glory

Kathryn Hayman
TRBC Women’s Life

 

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Posted in Encouragement, Gratitude, Hope, Spiritual Living

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 2, 2026

Sweet Wisdom

“My child, eat honey, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to the taste. In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul.”  Proverbs 24:13-14

I am a sugar addict. I cannot get my coffee too sweet, and for my birthday, I would just prefer a bowl of icing, forget the cake! Yes, it is a real problem! Once I get that sweet taste in my mouth, I have a very difficult time saying no to the next sip or bite. I have to consciously walk away, eat something with a different taste, or exercise a crazy amount of self-control!

So when I read this verse where King Solomon is telling us to eat something sweet and good for our soul, I am ready to indulge! Bring on the platter of everything honey!

The passage goes on to remind us that just as honey is sweet to our tastebuds, wisdom is sweet to our souls. Scripture is giving us permission to indulge-in sweet wisdom! I want my soul to yell, “Bring it on! I can’t get enough!”  Sometimes it does, and I walk in His ways and have His peace, even through the difficult circumstances of life.

But sometimes I push back and forget how sweet and yummy His wisdom is. It is not usually decisive; it just slowly happens. I start experimenting with different tastes and forget how sweet “It” was.

Why do I do this? Why do any of us ever make decisions or live life apart from the God of the universe? Who loves and adores us and always wants the absolute best for us?

I can think of three main reasons that have happened in my life.

  1. I don’t like the way my life is going, and I think I know better than God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us that, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.” (NLT)  When I cannot bow my knee to the King of Kings and submit to His ways, I am walking away from the sweetness of His wisdom.
  2. I trade His wisdom for what this world has to offer. I get caught up in comforts, money, valuing myself and my life by the standards of this world, and most importantly, thinking that it is all about now and forgetting about an eternity with Him! 1 Corinthians 3:18-19 states, “Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by the world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God…” (NLT)  I always have to ask myself, who am I listening to or what is pulling me  away?
  3.  My own selfishness. I am tired or annoyed, or in pain, or I just don’t feel like doing right. I have a bunch of excuses, depending on the day. Maybe you can identify? It is the core of our humanity to do our own thing. The more I do it, the more often I eat “sour” things, the better I become used to the taste. I can actually forget the taste of His sweetness. Proverbs 14:12 reminds me that, “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.”  If I am not walking with Him, I can be easily deceived that my path is the right one.

How do we get rid of the bitter taste and run back to the sweetness His wisdom offers?

We repent. We recognize whatever it is that is keeping us from Him and His ways. And we do whatever it takes to remove it, change paths, or break relationships. We acknowledge there is nothing more important in this world than walking with Jesus. We call old friends who we know love Him, we head back to our church or small group, we listen to a sermon or music that uplifts His name, and we begin to get that sweet taste back. Once we get a little on our tongue, we will desire His taste more and more!

We also choose Him each day-one bite at a time. Choosing His Word, talking with Him, and remembering His love and commitment to us. He is always waiting with open arms for each of us, His Girls.

“Father, help us to crave You and Your ways and know how much You love us.”

 

For His Glory

 

Terrie Tollerson (www.TerrieTollerson.com)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | September 1, 2026

This Is War

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57

In recent months, the pastor of my church has commented within various sermons that, although the moment of salvation is about surrendering to Jesus as Lord and Savior to experience the transformative freedom in Christ, the Christian life is also war. This is fact. When we join team Jesus, we become enemies of this world, of Satan, and of our own flesh. So, at salvation, we join the fight. This sent my mind reeling to human war, especially as the current geopolitical scene heats up. Then my mental trail led to how men and women enlist in the military to serve our country…or how men (currently only men) may also be drafted to fight, should the situation warrant it. I won’t share my cerebral meandering to the “election” versus “free will” theological chasm, and how one would mean Christians are “drafted” and the other would mean we “enlist”—that is a digression for another day. Suffice it to say that one way or another, believers are at war.

And this is where it gets interesting, Biblically speaking. Is the battle ours to fight? Or does the battle belong to the Lord?

Throughout the Old Testament, we find exhortations to trust the Lord with the fight (of course, in these verses, they typically refer to actual war). See 1 Samuel 17:47 when David trusted God to fight for him against Goliath and 2 Chronicles 20:15, when the Lord assured Judah that the battle was His, and sure enough, the enemy actually defeated themselves—check it out! And in Exodus 14:13-14, before the Red Sea parted, Moses told the Israelites to stop freaking out and be quiet—the Lord would fight for them. These verses can certainly be applied to the proverbial battles of our lives as well.

The battle does belong to the Lord…and so does the victory (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). On this side of the cross, we are privileged to understand that the Real Battle has also been won on our behalf—the Victory that all those other miraculous victories pointed to. As Jesus said before He gave up His life, “It is finished” (the debt is paid, the war is over). If you haven’t heard it yet, listen to the Shane and Shane song, You’ve Already Won, which speaks to our spiritual fight through this world from the vantage point of the Lord’s victory…

…because, although the battle is won, We. Still. Must. Fight.

And as we do, the Lord is with us (Deuteronomy 20:4)! He gets our weakness, pain, and temptations (Hebrews 4:15-16), and He will never leave us or forsake us in the battle (Isaiah 43:2). And He will strengthen us (2 Thessalonians 3:3). But we must also be prepared for the inevitable battles! The Apostle Paul reminds us who our real enemy is and gives us the full battle plan in his letter to the Ephesians (6:10-18).

So, are we to fight—and keep fighting the good fight until the end (as Paul wrote time and time again)? Or does the battle belong to the Lord? The answer is YES! We do fight! However, we fight not for victory, but from victory! Jesus Christ has overcome the world (John 16:33), and because of His victory, we who trust Him in that victory, are more than conquerors (Romans 8:35-39)! So, friend, enlist in God’s army, put on your armor…and join the victorious fight.

“Lord, until You return or call us Home, this is war. May we hold fast to Your victory and fight the good fight until then.”

For His Glory,

 

Julianne Winkler Smith (encouraged by grace books)
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Faith, Hope, Spiritual Living, Wisdom

Posted by: trbccoffeebreak | August 31, 2026

Sweeter Than Honey

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119: 103 (ESV)

Veggies were never my thing.  As a kid, I rarely ate them even though they adorned our table at dinner time.  No salad, broccoli, cauliflower, squash – yes I definitely had no taste for any of them.  As a young adult, however,  I started to test the waters and indulged in some veggies.  The more I ate salads, broccoli, etc., the more I desired to eat them. And now, well I love a great salad, steamed broccoli and cauliflower – my tastebuds have definitely evolved.  What once was undesired and excluded is now some of my fave foods to eat.

Interesting how our tastes change over time and it isn’t limited to the food we intake.  Our taste for clothes, cars, careers are ever diversifying based on trends, culture, finances and personal dynamics.  Even social media platforms and influencers seek to give us a taste for what they are promoting.  It’s always the latest, greatest and newest that seeks to steal the show.

Our taste can easily be altered if we are not careful, especially when it extends past our culinary delights. Life offers us many tempting entrees to absorb our attention and deflect our devotion to what will truly satisfy our soul. Busyness, self absorption, misplaced agendas and simple intimidation can easily sideline us from tasting and savoring the word of God – the true delicacy our souls crave.

The psalmist David invites us to taste (experience and trust) the goodness of God.  A covenant trust based on His character trait of faithfulness (Psalm 34:8) which unfolds page by page in the Scriptures.  And our verse reminds us that nothing is sweeter to our soul  and sweeter to our taste (more than honey) like the word of God.

This beautiful comparison of God’s word and the sweetness of honey draws us to fall in love with the Scriptures.  Rare and highly valued, honey was a delicacy symbolizing abundance and divine favor.  It also was a sustaining food for John the Baptist who survived on locusts and wild honey in the wilderness. Likewise, time spent savoring and walking in the pivotal truths found in God’s word sustains, invites, inspires, and positions us to receive God’s best for our lives.  Even in the hardest places, it is His word that births hope and provides an anchor for our souls. It’s His word reminding us that God is ever present and provides peace in the midst of life’s storms. It’s His word unfolding verse by verse filling us with the confidence that He can be trusted and His character is unchanging.

Sweet friends, cultivating a taste for the sweetness of the word of God will always leave us desiring more.  What we once exempted and overlooked is no longer possible because our tastes have changed.  We will eagerly desire to gather at His table and savor His goodness fully anticipating a filling of the nourishment our souls need.

“Father, Your words are a light unto our path, leading and guiding us in the direction that honors You and fulfills our every need.  Help us to be fully satisfied in You and savor pivotal truths from Your word.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life

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Posted in Encouragement, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Living

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