Sweet and Sour
Ministry is sweet and sour. Being a follower of Christ in the truest sense of the word brings about a gigantic dichotomy of experience in life. The sweet and the sour.
John experiences this having received the revelation of Jesus Christ to a world hopelessly in love with itself.
Revelation 10:8–11 (ESV) Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
John hears the voice from heaven. It tells him to eat the scroll (a symbol of the word). But the voice gives fair warning, this will be good going down but when it settles in, it's going to get a bit uncomfortable for you.
Have you ever had a sour stomach? When ever I get that feeling in my stomach my mind immediately races as to how I could undo it. Pepto? Antacids? What did I eat? When will this be over? I get very nervous because a sour stomach can lead to a lot of uncomfortable positions in the next few hours.
John takes God's Word in ... sweet to the taste it is! Yes, it is. But once it settles in, discomfort comes soon after. It starts to disrupt the plan we had for our lives. It can mess with our relationships that once felt so secure and happy. And the more you eat the more discomfort! Yes, a holy discomfort in life is going to be the experience of every person who hears and obeys God's Voice.
John's discomfort reflects the discomfort God has for this world lost in sin. It's not supposed to make us comfortable to be here and watch. Think of Lot as described by Peter who says: "righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked" 2 Peter 2:7
It's hard to live for Christ in a world growing with animosity toward Him. The world, the flesh and the devil get upset when their agenda is disquieted by what God has pronounced.
But we don't just eat, we work. That is the point of eating after all, to give us the energy to work it out. This passage ends with commission. John having experienced the impartation of God's Word and plan, having experienced God's discontent with sin is now ready to "prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
And here is where we have a huge clue to this passage. If the Lord's Word hasn't upset our lives, are we ready to speak it into other's lives? How can we be a spokesman for truth if we are not first regular customers.
My prayer for you and I is that we eat and get upset stomachs once in a while that make us think about what it means for our lives... and allow God to have His way in us so that we can be truly prepared for His plan.
Amen.
John experiences this having received the revelation of Jesus Christ to a world hopelessly in love with itself.
Revelation 10:8–11 (ESV) Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.” 9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” 10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
John hears the voice from heaven. It tells him to eat the scroll (a symbol of the word). But the voice gives fair warning, this will be good going down but when it settles in, it's going to get a bit uncomfortable for you.
Have you ever had a sour stomach? When ever I get that feeling in my stomach my mind immediately races as to how I could undo it. Pepto? Antacids? What did I eat? When will this be over? I get very nervous because a sour stomach can lead to a lot of uncomfortable positions in the next few hours.
John takes God's Word in ... sweet to the taste it is! Yes, it is. But once it settles in, discomfort comes soon after. It starts to disrupt the plan we had for our lives. It can mess with our relationships that once felt so secure and happy. And the more you eat the more discomfort! Yes, a holy discomfort in life is going to be the experience of every person who hears and obeys God's Voice.
John's discomfort reflects the discomfort God has for this world lost in sin. It's not supposed to make us comfortable to be here and watch. Think of Lot as described by Peter who says: "righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked" 2 Peter 2:7
It's hard to live for Christ in a world growing with animosity toward Him. The world, the flesh and the devil get upset when their agenda is disquieted by what God has pronounced.
But we don't just eat, we work. That is the point of eating after all, to give us the energy to work it out. This passage ends with commission. John having experienced the impartation of God's Word and plan, having experienced God's discontent with sin is now ready to "prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
And here is where we have a huge clue to this passage. If the Lord's Word hasn't upset our lives, are we ready to speak it into other's lives? How can we be a spokesman for truth if we are not first regular customers.
My prayer for you and I is that we eat and get upset stomachs once in a while that make us think about what it means for our lives... and allow God to have His way in us so that we can be truly prepared for His plan.
Amen.
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