Don't Shave the Meat

“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them. They are all plain to him that understandeth, and right to them that find knowledge.” (Proverbs 8:8-9)

 

I like to shop at Sam’s Club. They have some really good prices on some really good stuff, especially in the food department. I get some lamb chops from them that are awesome on the grill. They are kind of pricey even for Sam’s, so it is a semi-annual splurge. They also sell some rainbow trout filets that are not quite so expensive. A pan seared trout with some fresh asparagus and a baked sweet potato is one of my favorite meals. I could eat it three times a day and dream about it at night. I also shop there for the church. We just finished our youth camp last week, and I am the camp cook. One of our lunch staples is some sliced meat sandwiches. Instead of just some average run of the mill deli meats or bologna, I will get some ham, turkey, and beef from Sam’s and have them slice it for me. They sell a mesquite smoked “Jennie-O” turkey breast that is to die for. I will call out the meat department guy and ask him to slice us up about 50 pounds of meat for the week, and since it is that much, I usually will have to pick it up the next day. I give them clear directions. Please slice the meat thin for sandwiches, but don’t shave it. Shaved deli meat is the best way to have it if you are only serving your family, but serving 100 hungry young mouths lined up at a youth camp is a different story. It is virtually impossible to handle shaved meat piled up that high in such a frenzied environment. It just falls apart on you and you end up with turkey dust instead of sandwich meat. I told the guy that in almost those exact words. So the next day I picked up the meat, and guess what. Yep, they shaved it. I had to very gingerly and carefully pull apart every piece of meat and re-tray it so it could be served. Do you know how many shaved slices are produced from 50 pounds of meat? I lost count at somewhere around three quad-jillion. That is four hours of my life I will never get back.

 

I wonder how many times God gives us clear directions in his word, and we treat it like the meat cutter at Sam’s – in one ear and out the other. The constant complaint we get about the Bible is that it is too hard to understand. Samuel Clemens was a notable atheist from several generations ago who had read the Bible. Even though he was an atheist, he lived in a day when the Bible was at least respected enough to be read. He said, “It’s not the things in the Bible I don’t understand that bother me, it’s the things I DO understand.” By the way, isn’t it interesting that a man would complain about the so called “problems” with God and the Bible, and then put up a false front and phony identity to the entire world and become rich and famous in the process? We know this man as Mark Twain. But even as someone who did not believe the Bible, Mark Twain clearly understood what it said. He just didn’t want to obey it.

 

God’s word is inexhaustible and deeply complex; covering every issue of life. No man will ever master it in ten lifetimes. Yet at the same time, its truths are simple and profoundly basic. As it has been said, God did not call them the ten “suggestions”. He speaks clearly. He gives us basic instructions that are simple to follow. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” (Acts 16:31) “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13) There is nothing deeply theological about that. You are a sinner and Jesus was not. He died for your sins. Ask him to save you. Once we have done that, we become his children and get another set of simple basic clear instructions. “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians5:25) “Put on the whole armour of God…” (Ephesians 6:11) “If you love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) I could list a thousand simple clear verses that are to mark our lives as believers. There is nothing complicated about them. Just pay attention to the instruction manual of life, the Bible. Don’t shave the meat. Let God’s simple truths be the beacon of your heart until he comes.