"Spoiled"

I hear the word more often from my wife than anyone else. She is the fridge patrol person in our home. Not me. I'm the "Refrigerator Raider". You see I have this incredible weakness for leftovers.

Leftovers are a gift from God. They exist in the back of your fridge to tantalize and seduce the "Raiders" like me. Early in the morning or late at night the raiders are drawn to the fridge by some unheard calling. They come like they're being pulled by an unseen string. Straight up. The fridge is opened. The light comes on. And the gift from God begins to call.

It used to be baking and goodies that I so desperately craved. I also have a huge weakness for old meatloaf and potatoe salad, but I better not get into that. With my health the way it is now. I'm craving water and fruit just about as much as anything. Weird huh? Today I found an old Ice Cappacino that I couldn't finish the other day. Add a little old banana. Reblend and serve. Mmmm.

Anyways, where was I? I yeah "spoiled". My wife. The fridge policewoman.

Every so often she catches me. (I've never been able to get much past her.) And she inspects my latest "catch" from the back of the fridge. If it doesn't pass her approval she calls out "spoiled" and I can't have it. Or maybe I just have to promise not to offer it to anyone else. "This is the last day for that Dwayne". I smile. Yup. Last day for that (grin)! Mmmm. Just wish I had the appetite to eat more.

Today I was reading in my Bible about spoiled people. Been sitting in the back of the fridge with the rich foods and eating too much. When people get too much of the blessings of God without the disciplines of God - they spoil. Turn rotten and ugly and begin to stink. It's really gross. Turns your stomach and ruins your appetite for people altogether.

I know that God wants to bless people. But if He just blesses and never stops it's not really that good for people. It's better that they go hungry and learn self-discipline than that they get all their ways all the time.

When God wanted to bring His beloved Israelites into a land "flowing with milk and honey" (leftovers), he had to first discipline the people with hunger and manna diets to prepare them for such a great blessing. It was necessary for them to learn self-discipline first. Otherwise they would have gorged themselves on the blessings and forgotten about God and serving Him and honoring Him and glorifying Him. They would have been consumed by their own appetites and forgotten the host to this great feast.

"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with His manna.... to teach you that a man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the word of God."

I pondered that this morning as I read it this morning, just before I began my rummaging through the fridge. I'm convinced that God has a great blessing for me. A really big one. I'm asking and praying for it. But maybe there's some refining to do yet. Some self-discipline and humbling that needs to be done first. Preparation for the blessing so that I'm not spoiled. Okay. Teach me Lord. Humble me. Prepare me. Let me hunger for it. Then I will praise You! Then I will not forget!

What else are you supposed to do when you're waiting? I'm waiting for test results. Man, is that hard! I want to do something. But we're here waiting. A time of humbling and testing and self-discipline. Must be for something really good way deep in the back of the fridge. :-)