Suppose your wife or a friend makes you a moose pot roast. I picked moose because it is my favorite big game meat. It is taken out of the oven and placed on the table. YOU LOOK AT IT. It looks so good.YOU THINK OF ALL THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE IT HAS; protein, low in fat etc. YOU GO OVER AND TAKE A GOOD WIFF OF IT. It smells so good. All that effort will give you no lasting benefit unless you eat it.

This illustration reminds us of our Christian life. When the questionaire asks the question, 'what religion you are?" we write in the word Christian. But are we? To what extent? Do you get as excited about Jesus as you do when you just shot a 150 inch or better buck? How about when you just called in a double bearded tom or caught that large brown trout? We should, because when we talk about God, we are speaking of the one who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills." He created all those animals we hunt and of course, owns them. But he gave them all to us for our enjoyment. The Bible clearly teaches this in Genesis 9: 2-3; "The fear and dread of you will fall upon all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air, upon every creature that moves on the ground, and upon all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hands. Everything that lives and moves will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants,  I now give you everything."

The point is this, many of us have a superficial relationship with God; we're just smelling the pot roast. But some might protest, "I do more then just smell the pot roast. I go to church most Sundays. I sing in the choir. I even shovel my senior neighbors driveway. Yes there is a middle level between cold and hot;between superficial ,and dynamic. It is, lukewarm. I call it "tasting the pot roast." We taste the edges of the pot roast. Our taste buds are satisfied but we will not get nourishment from a mere taste. In order to get nourishment and be blessed, we must eat it. Tasting is not eating!

The prophet Jeremiah certainly understood this when he said in Jeremiah 15:16, "When your words came to me, O God, I ate them; they were my joy and my hearts delight,for I bear your name, O Lord God Almighty.

My buddy and I were in nothern British Columbia hunting moose. We agreed to hunt together for a couple days and flipped a coin to see who would get first shot for each day. It was his shot that day, when we saw 2 bulls just 125 yards ahead of us. The one in the little clearing was smaller. The other one was behind a clump of trees and was estimated by the guide to  be at least 58 inches. They were not aware of our presence, so which one do you think he shot? He waited 'til the big bull moved from behind the clump of trees, used a fallen tree as a rest, and made a perfect shot with his 300 Winchester, on the big bull. Why settle for the second best when you can have the best? Why settle for a taste when you can have the meal?.                         

Maybe you have just been smelling the pot roast or just tasting the edges of it. If so,  Jesus is saying to you, "come and eat." In John 6:35, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry; and he who believes in me will never go thirsty." Jesus will satisy all your needs.                       Your spiritual life can continue to be superficial or it can become a dynamic relationship.Through studying God's Holy Word and praying to Him we can get to know Him better. Go to and get involved in a Bible believing and Bible teaching church.                      Spiritual blessings can come only by eating the word of the Lord and studying over it, just as Jeremiah did.   

Will Longenecker             &nb sp;    

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