Candy Corn
Ps 34:8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
Every season my wife decorates our house. I mean spring, summer, fall and her favorite, Christmas. She puts out what is appropriate for the particular season. This being Fall, she puts out all the things she decorates with, lights, leaves, flowers, pillows, dishes, candles, and which color coordinates for this season. Every fall for many years now she has put out a small dish in the shape and color of a candy corn and will fill it up with a particular brand of, (you should have guessed it), candy corn. For those of you who do not know of this candy, it comes out in the stores during the fall and looks like a yellow and orange piece of corn. Now of course our girls and their children know about this dish. When they come to the house they look for this dish and help themselves to the candy corn. Throughout the fall this dish will get emptied and filled several times.
Recently my 2 old grandson was at the house with his mother and I gave him his first candy corn. I picked up the piece of candy and handed it to him. He looked at it and played with it a little not knowing what it was and then I took one, put it in my mouth and he did the same. At first he looked like he would spit it out but then the sweetness touched his taste buds and an overwhelming approval registered on his face. He looked at me almost instantly and motioned to me for more. Watching his face go from not sure to positively yes for more, his mother and I just laughed. A couple of days later they stopped by the house and as soon as they came in the door he went straight to the dish. It just so happened to be empty at this time but he would stare at the dish and look at me like where are those wonderful little candies?
Now think with me for a moment, do we taste to see how good the Lord is? God with His overwhelming love for us is always wanting us to experience more. More of everything He has that He gives to us for our enjoyment. He doesn’t do things to leave a bad taste in our mouths but a good taste. A taste we approve of and look at Him with the same face my grandson had wanting more. Do we run to God looking for more of the candy corn of His words, character, and nature because we remember how good it tasted before?
In the scripture above the actual Hebrew word taste is referring to perception of a thing. Look at the definition of taste; to try with your taste buds, to excite a particular sensation, by which a quality of flavor is distinguished, to perceive with your tongue/taste buds, to experience and distinguish a flavor most likely for the first time.
According to the scripture the flavor you are looking for is good. You are perceiving how good God is. You are wanting to experience this particular sensation. The best thing about this is God wants you to taste this too Because He knows once you have tasted a flavor and you have liked it you want more.
I have had many steaks in my life but there is one place both my wife and I had a steak that to this day is the best. We still will talk about it. When you mention this particular restaurant we both light up and overwhelmingly agree the best steak we ever have had. Our taste buds had a sensation that we would go back again and again to partake of.
There was a time we did mission trips to Romania. Getting there we would sometimes have to stop in Zurich. I had gotten to know some of the things to do and try with overnight stays in Zurich. There was a particular chocolate shop and every time I would take a team through Zurich I had to take them to this shop and buy them their first Swiss chocolate. I would joke and tell them the first one’s on me. I would enjoy treating people to their first chocolate truffle and watching their facial expression. Of course they would want another one, and now you know why I would only buy the first one, because I knew they would want another.
Do we have a spiritual facial expression with the things of God? Do we want more? This is really how we should know our Lord. We should be wanting more, having tasted, we want another. Why? Because it is so amazingly good. He is so amazingly Good.
I have said this many times and I am sure I heard it somewhere but God is never holding anything back from us but holding it for us. He isn’t hiding things from us but wants us to come and taste and see His goodness. He is holding them out for us to come and partake of all He has for us.
We taste what is good by enjoying His Word, finding pleasure in walking with Him, growing in His abundant love for us.
There are many things I have tasted and did not like. I did not care to taste them again. However, never have I in over 40 plus years of walking with God have I tasted anything bad from Him. Just the opposite I have only found that which is good and loving, caring and always willing to share every aspect of His life with me.
The whole message about His Son is making sure we receive the very best He has to offer. He wholeheartedly gave us Jesus so we could enjoy all His goodness. The way Jesus enjoyed life with his Father, the Father wanted to make sure we received the exact same abundant life. Again, He is not keeping anything from us but holding out to us to come and taste and see how truly good He is. So think of all the good of God you have tasted and remember this every time you come to Him. Look for the dish with the candy corn of life in it and help yourself.
Luke 10:21
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. NIV
Eph 1:9-10
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure,
which he purposed in Christ, NIV
Luke 12:32
32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. NKJV
