Wednesday, June 20, 2007

MORE ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER

If a little is good, a lot must be better, right? Not always! With some pleasures, some foods, or even time with some people, we should stop at just a little. Any more, and there's only trouble a-waiting.

Cashews, for instance. This morning as I write you, my stomach regrets that its owner hadn't the sense to stop with just a little. The intended goodness of a small handful last night turned into a lot more, and now I wish I'd left that can of Planters on the shelf. But they seemed so good at the time!

Life is like that. We know better, but we do it anyway. We know we should stop certain things, but we don't. St. Paul knew about this when he wrote in Romans 7:19, "The good that I would, that I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (KJV) Or to put it in terms of how I feel this morning: "The good little handful, that I ate not; The four handfuls that I knew were evil, those I ate!"

Paul wrote further in Romans 7:24, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" He must have gotten into the same can of nuts!

So much of life has to do with knowing our limits. Too much work can be as bad for you as too much leisure. A little salt can be good (in fact, we need it), but too much can be poison. Moderation is needed in all things; we need to find balance.

About the only thing we can't get enough of is God's grace. We can never get too much of that wonderful stuff! His love is new every morning because we need it every morning - and every noon and every night. A little handful is not enough, for we daily sin much and indeed deserve only punishment. We need His mercy by the bucketful. There's never a moment when we don't need Jesus. We need His forgiveness every moment.

So thanks be to God, we have it! With God's love for us in Jesus, a little is good, and a lot is far better. And ten times that amount is never more too much. The same is true of faith. A faith the size of a mustard seed is enough, but faith the size of a watermelon is even better.

I'm starting to feel better now - walking around helps, and so does Alka Seltzer. I hope I remember this lesson. But I probably won't. After all, I hadn't bought a can of cashews for at least six months because of the last time....

Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving us poor, miserable sinners,

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