Cheese and Crackers

Today, my Pastor made a very good point in his message.  Thank God for Pastors who spend time at the feet of Jesus!

He told a story of a foreign family who was aboard a ship that was headed for America.  In order to save money, they brought along cheese and crackers for their journey.  Every meal for two weeks consisted of their cheese and crackers.

Sounds of laughter, and chatting could be heard by this family, as the other passengers passed by their cabin on the way to the dining room at each meal time.  They would listen to these same passengers returning from dinner, raving about how delicious the meal of steak, lobster, and luscious deserts were.   

Finally, the captain gave the announcement that the ship would arrive in America on the morrow.

This man said to his family, "I will be right back.  I will go and inquire of the price to dine tonight with the rest of the passengers.  I shall see how much is will cost us to celebrate with everyone else for our last meal aboard ship." 

When this man inquired of the captain how much it would cost for him and his family to have dinner, the captain looked perplexed.  Scratching his head, he stated simply, "Why, sir, there is no cost for you and your family to join us for dinner.  Didn't you know that all of your meals were included in the price of your ticket?"

Pastor pointed out that those of us who are followers of Christ, act this same way much of the time.  We settle for cheese and crackers, when the King has set a banquet table before us, filled with the choicest meats, the finest pastries, the most succulent wines, all the while longing for us to accept His invitation to "Come and eat...Taste and see..."

He went on to say that we do this because we fail to learn, and then fail to grasp once we are taught, who we really are in Christ; and what He truly extends to us in His act of forgiving our sins.  We don't walk in His freedom from sin, nor of His sacrifice of paying the price for ALL of our wrong-doings and mistakes, because we allow the enemy to continually remind us of our tainted past. 

He said, "Every time the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future!  Tell him, 'That person you are throwing up to me no longer exists.  That person is dead.  The dead person did those things.  That person has nothing to do with me anymore.  I am alive in Christ.  I am a new creature in Him.'"

I love that!  Thank you, Pastor!

2 Corintians 5:17  "I am a new creation in Christ, old things have passed away and behold all things have been made new."