Submitted by Kerry Patton
“But mark this: There will
be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers
of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal,
not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have
nothing to do with such people.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5
So I’m
sitting in my spot on the couch night before last. In my hand was a glass filled with orange
soda. I was thirsty. I drew a couple of refreshing drinks from
it. It was very tasty. The empty can was still there on the
table. I picked it up and examined the
ingredients which were printed on the side of the can. They included:
“CARBONATED
WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE),
MODIFIED FOOD STARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, CAFFEINE, ESTER GUM, YELLOW 6, RED 40”
While
“Natural Flavors” are listed as included, according to the Code of Federal
Regulations, Natural Flavors can consist of:
“the essential oil, oleoresin,
essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of
roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents
derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice,
edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat,
seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose
significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
In
other words: NOT ORANGE JUICE.
(ahem) Sorry.
I looked
at my wife and asked her to join me in pondering how the soft drink company is
able to make an orange drink taste so much like orange, without containing
actual orange juice?? How do they do
that? I mean really, if they made orange
soda out of oranges, they’d be very proud of it. It would say it right there on the can: “Made
with 10% REAL Orange juice!” Right? But
they don’t…because they DON’T. It’s not
real orange. It only TASTES like
orange. There’s no vitamin C, no
Potassium, no Folic acid, nor Calcium, no vitamin B6 or Thiamin. There are none of the benefits that one
receives from oranges in orange soda. It
tastes like orange, but it isn’t. It is
fake.
Okay. Back to the top of the page. 2 Timothy chapter 3 is trying desperately to
get our attention. There is a warning to
be heeded. “Mark this…” it says.
“Terrible times…” it speaks of as coming.
Then it lists off what it will be like in those days: “People will be lovers of
themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their
parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of
godliness but denying its power.” Does any of this sound in
the least familiar? Any echoes of the
times we are living in? Yeah. I think so as well.
So,
here is the question: Are we willing to settle for something that merely
“tastes like oranges”, or do we want “real orange juice”?
To
clarify: our adversary wants us very much to settle for that form of Godliness
that has no power. Satan would desire us
to be conformed to this world, to claim the name of Christian, but never
experience the transformation power of God in Christ Jesus!
In the
above scripture, the lives of those with dead empty faith are displayed as
living for themselves, conflicted and compromised. Claiming the name of Christ,
but having not association with his likeness.
In Galatians 2:20, Paul wrote: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Oh! That’s what I want!!
Real Orange
Juice. Real Jesus. Come ye thirsty: Drink deeply.
Almighty God,
Have I settled for an essence of faith, but missed the presence and
transforming power of the Savior? I come back to the table and reach for your
real food and drink! Transform me! Renew me!
I am clay in your hands. Make me into your image, that not only may I
bear your likeness, but also your substance.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
