Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Real Orange “Taste”

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.

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