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Wild Honey

“John (the Baptist) wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey” — Matthew 3:4.

A former beekeeper, myself, I know bees don’t take kindly to being robbed. We wore special clothing and took special precautions to avoid being stung — but John ate wild honey. He would just reach in and get some! Why?

Evidently he valued the taste of honey more than the sting.

Now let’s focus on a passage from Saint Paul:

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” — 2nd Corinthians 4:7-10

For the Apostle, following Christ sometimes stung — troubled, perplexed, persecuted, cast down. Yet he kept at it! Why?

Evidently he valued the taste of Christ more than the sting.

There is sweetness in Christ found nowhere else that, once tasted, causes some to value it more than anything else. That’s what we have — Wild Honey, and it’s great!!

— fritz

God’s Other Plans.

[Samson’s] father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.” His father and mother didn’t realize the LORD was at work in this… — Judges 14:3-4

Every parent wants the best for their child — to make right choices, avoid heartache, and have a good life.

Sometimes it just doesn’t happen regardless how much parental love, encouragement, cajoling, even prayer is applied. Sometimes God has something else planned the parents can’t imagine.

Our children are just on loan to us and only for such a short time. We love them, try to help them the best we can, then we pass them on to God and his purposes trusting He knows best and is at work.

— fritz

But, Can He Do It Again?

Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes … And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children. — Matthew 16:33

Many don’t know this was the second time Jesus fed a multitude — the first was reported two chapters earlier.

So similar are the two that some think they were the same event. Not so, the timeline and details are different. What is the same is the disciples first reaction — “What?!”, they said both times, “Where are we going to get the food?!”

We stand amazed at those forgetful, faithless disciples — ’till we realize we do the same thing. No?

What is our first response to another danger or need? How often are we in disarray even after God just took care of our last crisis?

God can do again what he did before. We didn’t become too old, too sinful, or too anything to prevent God’s grace in Christ.

I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, And I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old … I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you.” — Isaiah 45:4 (Message Bible)

— fritz