May 8, 2020
FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
TASTE TEST TO TRUST
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” Ps.34:8.
As they say, “the proof of the pie is in eating.” So with the Bible truth. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul… SWEETER than the honey and the honeycomb,”wrote the psalmist.
“How shall we know for ourselves God’s goodness and His love? The psalmist tells us—not, hear and know, read and know; but—‘TASTE and see that the Lord is good.’ Instead of relying upon the word of another, taste for yourself.”
“Experience is knowledge derived from experiment. Experimental knowledge is what is needed now…..Some, yes, a large number—have a theoretical knowledge of religious truth, but have never felt the renewing power of divine GRACE upon their own hearts….”
“They believe in the wrath of God, but put forth no earnest efforts to escape it. They believe in heaven, but make no sacrifice to obtain it….They know the right, but have no relish for it. All their knowledge will but increase their condemnation. They have never TASTED and learned by experience that the Lord is good.”
“To become a disciple of Christ is to deny self and follow Jesus through evil and well as good report…..Every darling indulgence that hinders our religious life must be cut off….Will we put forth efforts and make sacrifices PROPORTIONATE to the worth of the object to be obtained?”…
“Communion with Christ—how unspeakably precious! Such communion is our privilege to enjoy IF we will seek it, IF we will make any sacrifice to secure it.” E.G.White, 5T 221-223.
If we haven’t yet “tasted the Lord” in this specified way, He has mercifully given us this time, during the stay-home order to help flatten the curve of the covid-19 pandemic. This is another aspect of how “God is in control,” if we are familiar with Him and His ways by personal experience!
Experimental knowledge in Christ’s righteousness is what God’s people need right now—not just a cure for the covid-19! Eph. 6:11. NMF