B-1 with Apple, Please
John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go
and bear fruit -- fruit that will last. (NIV)
My family has a wonderful tradition every Saturday morning. We gather in the car
and head out to our favorite local diner for a hearty breakfast. What a delight
it is to open the plentiful menu, with so many great choices to fill our
bellies.
But, once the menus are passed out, my husband politely thanks the wait staff
and then closes his menu. After all, he doesn't even have to look. He already
knows what he wants to have. When the fresh smile of the waitress appears, he
smiles back and says...B1 with apple, please. And, with a twinkling in his eye,
he nods as she writes down his request. Every week it's the same order. Creamed
chipped beef on white toast, side of home fries and a glass of apple juice. Hey,
when they see us coming in the door, the kitchen staff must already be getting a
large scoop of the creamy mixture ready to adorn the plate. How easy is that!
Now, as this is going on, I am desperately searching the menu up and down. So
many choices and each one more delicious than the next. How shall I mix it up
this Saturday morning? Maybe I'll order a Belgium waffle, but with a side order
of pork roll instead of bacon? Or, the every popular Southwestern omelet may
just do the trick today. Yet, the healthy choice of a grapefruit and a side of
cottage cheese may be just perfect? Some mornings, it is most difficult to
choose, but I am so thankful to have a choice.
Now, just think if God decided to give each of us the exact same thing to do
over and over again, day in and day out. How hard it would be to keep up the
excitement and thankfulness for the task before us. Soon, weariness would set in
and it would become mundane, or worse, boring.
Oh, but our God wants so much more for us than this. He offers a menu
overflowing with wonderful opportunities to serve and glorify Him. Perhaps today
is the day He is asking you to go and share a hug and smile with a friend who is
hurting. Or, maybe there is a place you can go to offer your hands to help out
with a community project. And, I know there is always a selection from God that
includes sharing His word with those that don't know Jesus. So many choices for
us and all handpicked by our precious LORD. Never the same 'ole thing, but a new
and fresh blessing for us to receive.
So, as you read your Bible, search your heart and ask God to show you what's on
His menu for you today. Find encouragement in the pages from the many examples
of servants He had handpicked, just like you, to go and do His Kingdom work.
And, be thankful that we just don't have to order B1 with apple anymore!
Diane Check calvarycheck@comcast.net