Last night I made a wonderful pot of chicken and noodles, which I just love. They reminded me of the noodles that my Aunt Joyce made when we were kids - the homemade kind. I can make homemade ones, but these were store bought this time. Somehow they just seemed to hit the spot on a chilly, lazy evening. I cooked up boneless chicken breast on the stove, which is what I almost always use. The scent seems to fill every corner of the house. Once the aroma finds the kids, they run to the kitchen like the cartoon where the scent carries the character on a waft of air to wherever the food is!
There have been a few times in my married life that I have been blessed to be given several pots of chicken and noodles; perhaps after surgery, following the birth of a baby, etc. Sister Gerth makes wonderful chicken and noodles! I've had plenty of hers. Chicken soup just seems to do something for the body that is beneficial (or at least it seems like it). It's a comfort food for sure, but the broth and ingredients just seem to perk you up when you are not feeling your best. That's more than likely where the title for the popular book series "Chicken Soup for the Soul" began. God's Word is comfort and encouragement that seems to bring health to our spirits. I think my nephew at least has read some of the "Chicken Soup" for teenagers. Just like chicken soup, the Word of God seems to be something almost every age of person can enjoy. It is likened to milk and meat; something easily digested or something you have to chew on for awhile. It's simple enough for a child to understand, yet it can confound the wise.
But back to the chicken and noodles....
Have you ever had chicken and noodles, though, where the chicken was boned from a whole chicken and some of the bones make it into the pot? Oh, it's totally disgusting. If I find a bone in my soup, almost without fail I will lose my appetite and throw out the rest of the bowl. To me, it's even worse than finding a hair. Bones are dangerous. They can make you choke or if ingested they can cause problems in your digestive tract - serious problems! In fact, once we had to put a dog down because he swallowed a large bone and it would not "pass". The expense of surgery was out of the question, he was old, and there wasn't any other option. That was a terrible day all because of a bone!
No one would want their children to eat a bone or even have the possibility of having one in their food. Why? Because bones can hurt you.
I am thinking about this today because of all the "bones" that we allow in our lives each day. We are letting our guard down when it comes to what we are ingesting through television, books, magazines, internet... you name it! Even things that are labeled "Christian" can't be trusted fully anymore because that is such a broad term these days. People see a bone here or there and tend to ignore it. We justify why it's alright and then leave the bones there. "Well, it's not all bad", we tell ourselves. Someone said that untruths mixed in with the truth of the Word make it seem like it is all truth, but in the end it's deception. A little bit of arsenic will kill you 100% of the time!
People get desensitized because they are so used to having "bones" that it almost seems normal to have them. What was once disgusting to us now seems "normal".
Mostly for me, I find a lot of bones in books! I read a lot of books and books are a part of my ministry. I am an author! Christian books should point to Christ, encourage the believer's walk in the Lord, and most of all be consistent with Scripture.
I don't know about you, but I am sick and tired of having to "spit out the bones"!
How do we remedy this as people of faith? I believe it starts with filling our minds with the Word and getting on our knees to pray. I don't know why this generation seems so Biblically illiterate, but ignorance is unacceptable when we all have access to countless Biblical resources. People just don't want to take the time to read God's Word and find out truth for themselves... they would rather jump on this current bandwagon or that one or others simply regurgitate what they heard from someone else. The Word tells us that not everyone that says "Lord, Lord" knows Him. He'll say to them, 'depart from Me I knew you not.'
As I wrote several days ago now, the Bible is the best filter when it comes to judging whether or not something is of the Lord. Secondly, a close personal relationship and walk with the Lord will allow better discernment (through the Holy Spirit) to operate in our lives.
The Word encourages us to watch our lives and our doctrines closely. We are to encourage one another in the faith and even more so as we see the day (of His return) approaching.
We all need to stop opening our mouths and taking big gulps of whatever we are being fed and realize... there might be bones it that!
"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers." 1 Timothy 4:6 (NIV)
"He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." Titus 1:9 (NIV)
