You gotta taste this …

Even if you don’t have a “sweet tooth,” most of us enjoy having a little dessert on occasion.

My family excels at making three specific desserts. Because my parents and their families both come from Arkansas, the desserts that are our “family desserts” have a southern root to them. If you like good, homemade banana pudding, peach cobbler, or raisin pie, you would love dessert made by one of my family members.

My favorite of the three happens to be raisin pie. To my surprise, it seems most people I know have never tasted this delicious dessert. Talk about missing out! Although raisin pie can be rich and sweet, it’s hard settling for just one slice!

When I was a teen I spent a little time in Arkansas, which gave me the opportunity to visit with my extended family there. Whenever they gather together, they cook tasty homemade meals, including those delicious “family” desserts.

Unfortunately, when they laid out the spread of desserts, they seemed to have a habit of putting the raisin pie — my delicious favorite — right next to the mince meat pie.

I can’t stand mince meat pie! Ugh! Gross! I nearly gag just thinking about the terrible taste of mince meat pie!

Here’s the problem: mince meat pie and raisin pie look a whole lot alike, and I was never good at telling the difference at a glance. That meant I had to taste the pie to determine if it was raisin pie or mince meat pie.

Want to guess which one I usually tasted first?

You got it … the horrible mince meat pie!

Sometimes, you really cannot tell if something is great or terrible until you get a taste of it.

The same is true about our spiritual life.

All of us have tasted of sin (Romans 3:23). It may look tasty, but it’s really terrible for us.

But look closely at what Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!”

Simply going by sight, many people think what the world offers will taste good. Because of that, we all have indulged, only to discover the disgusting taste that sin ultimately brings. On the other hand, we aren’t always attracted to the idea of following Christ by what we see, but once we actually “taste” of the Lord, we find the deliciousness of grace, forgiveness, and life.

What’s on your plate? What are you tasting of: the delight of the Lord, or the disgust of the world?

Scotty