"The Tasteberry of Christianity"

A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself; how I praise you! I will honor you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer. You satisfy me more than the richest of foods. I will praise you with songs of joy. I lie awake thinking of you, meditating on you through the night. I think how much you have helped me; I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings. I follow close behind you; your strong right hand holds me securely. But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. They will die by the sword and become the food of jackals. But the king will rejoice in God. All who trust in him will praise him, while liars will be silenced. (Psalm 63:1-11).

I’ve heard a story about a man who bought a new hunting dog. Eager to see how he would perform, he took him out to track a bear. No sooner had they gotten into the woods than the dog picked up the trail. Suddenly he stopped, sniffed the ground, and headed in a new direction. He had caught the scent of a deer that had crossed the bear's path. A few moments later he halted again, this time smelling a rabbit that had crossed the path of the deer. And so, on and on it went until finally the breathless hunter caught up with his dog, only to find him barking triumphantly down the hole of a field mouse. Sometimes we’re like that. We start out with the best of intent to keep Christ first in our lives. But soon, our attention is diverted to things of lesser importance. One pursuit leads to another until we've strayed far from our original purpose.

There are some practical habits that we can develop that will help us stay on track. The psalm from David we have just read gives us five of these.

1. First, we ought to worship. There are some that have seen this exercise as merely going to church. However, as important as that can be, David was no where near the temple when he made wrote this psalm. He was hiding in the hillsides of Judea, yet he worshipped. He understood that genuine worship is the standing in awe of God wherever you are.

2. Second, we ought to praise God. Praise is the "taste berry" of Christianity. There is a berry in Africa that the natives use to “sweeten” their foods. It is a bitter tasting berry. They will eat one before other foods and the juices from it cause anything else they eat to be sweet to the taste. You may be in a time when you feel there is nothing to praise God in your life. Lift up your soul to face Him and watch how the “taste” of your life’s events starts to sweeten.

3. Third, we ought to meditate. Meditation is the art of listening to God. Find a quiet moment and think on the things of God that you already know. Listen for His response as you open your spiritual ears to Him.

4. Fourth, we ought to sing. For some of us the thought of singing is as near torture as we will ever come! All of us have the ability to make music. Do you remember the song in Snow White, “Just Whistle While You Work”? There is a wonderful change that takes place when we let our soul sing the song planted within it by the grace of God. Try it for yourself this morning, even if it’s only a whistle!

5. And, last, we ought to rejoice. This is the point of genuine surrender. Here we find a true sense of gratitude rising within us bringing us before the face of our Father. Here we find ourselves back on the real trail we were intended to follow.