Taste and See!

By Johnny Hester

    In Mark chapter sixteen Jesus confronted and convicted the eleven for their lack of faith in the first reports of His resurrection from the dead. Then, on the heels of this rebuke, He gave them the monumental task to: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned’.” That undertaking has been passed down to us. Our mission as the Lord’s church is to take that same saving message of Christ to a lost world in our day. Even with the marvelous twenty-first century communication tools at our disposal, it is still a colossal task to “Preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mk. 16:15). 
    A question to ponder: What will it take to motivate us to action? Genuine, lasting evangelistic fervor is seldom if ever produced by guilt or coercion. Rather it is born of experience. Once an individual has personally encountered the goodness of God and has leaned heavily upon His mighty arm, then trust grows along with a joyful desire to share this wonderful discovery with others.
    In Psalm 34:8-9 the psalmist is recommending to others what he has learned through his own personal walk with God. He had often been delivered from temptation, trouble and trial; so now he heartily recommends his Savior to those about him. “O, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! O, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” How did the Psalmist know that God is good—that those who trust Him are blessed—that a relationship with Him dispels crippling fear? Because he had experienced it firsthand! So now he could energetically encourage others to “taste.” The Hebrew word for “taste” is taa`am and it simply means to try just a little of something to test its flavor. He knew that once they tasted, they would want to partake as well.
        “A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
        He taketh my burden away;
        He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved,
        He giveth me strength as my day.” 
    Dear brothers and sisters, let us tell others of our Savior, inviting them to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Will you consider reaching out to someone you know? Will you do it now? Be emboldened by love (1 John 4:18) to invite a friend to join us this Lord’s Day as we worship God and feast upon the bread of life.

- Johnny Hester preaches for the Matthews Church of Christ in Matthews, MO. He may be contacted at johnnyhester@yahoo.com