Don't you just hate being hungry?  And what makes it worse is when someone sits down near you and says, "You've gotta taste this!"  You look up to see them shoveling some delicious looking thing into their mouth.  Your stomach hurts as you watch each morsel disappear into the chasm of their word vent; your heart hurts because you weren't offered a bite.

Are you hungry?  I'm not talking hungry for hot-wings and nachos (which I am hungry for right now).  I'm talking about a spiritual and emotional hunger.  A hunger that you've tried to satisfy, but to no avail.  Psalm 34:8 says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."  The Lord is calling out to you, "You've gotta taste this!"  What does He mean?

The phrase “Oh taste” means “to try or experience—by fully engaging your senses (sight, sound, smell, feel,     taste).”  Think about food you have experienced that engaged the senses:

Sight:  It just looks good.  Have you ever been turned off to food because of its appearance?  You didn’t want to try it, because it just didn’t look good.  Perhaps you missed out on some thing delicious due to its appearance.

Sound:  Nothing beats the sound of burgers or dogs sizzling on the grill, bacon sizzling in grease, or your fajitas sizzling when they’re brought fresh to your table at the restaurant.  The sound of food is very engaging, especially when you are hungry.  (Another aspect of sound could also apply to someone describing the food to you; whether it sounds delicious or sounds disgusting.)

Smell:  Smell can be a deal-breaker as far as your desire to even taste the food.  Has a food’s smell ever engaged your senses enough to want to try it, even though it didn’t look the greatest?  Or how about the other way around?  Has a food’s smell turned you away from trying it, even though it looked delicious?  Have you ever been brave enough to taste something that smelled bad, and it ended up tasting really good?

Feel:  For some, this is a deal-breaker.  It doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even tastes, some people get disgusted by the texture of the food.

Taste:  The ultimate deal breaker.  Doesn’t matter how nice it looks, sounds, smells, or even feels, if it doesn’t taste good, the experience is indeed ruined.

But, oh the food that engages and is pleasing to all five senses—yeah!!!  For me, it’s the Twinkie.  It just looks good.  I love the sound of the wrapper being peeled away from that little cream filled sponge.  Wow, the smell of a Twinkie fresh out of the wrapper!  It feels so soft!  (If they ever offered a Tempur-Pedic Twinkie pillow, I would be the first in line.)  And oh, the taste!

Look at the next part of the verse.  The phrase “and see” is translated from a Hebrew word which means “to appear, behold, gaze”.  It is the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” in a burning bush before Moses.  It is also the same Hebrew word used when God “appeared” to the children of Israel in a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.  The picture here is God’s real presence in our lives. 

Now, put “taste and see” together.  God’s word is saying:  "Try and experience My presence in your life—not just a simple knowledge of My presence—but an experience that fully engages the senses."  Back to the food illustration—not a fast snack or quick trip through the drive thru, but a full-on dining experience—the sound of that meal sizzling on your plate as it’s brought to the table; the sight of that meal—it’s not just a pile of food on your plate, it’s a work of art; and oh the aroma—takes you to a magical place filled with rainbows and unicorns; and the taste just keeps you there!  And for the "texture people", it feels just right.

How about you?  Are you enjoying the full-on God experience each day?  Do you feel His presence in your life?  His joy?  His peace?  Do you see Him working in your life?  Even in the little things?  Is His presence so real you can almost taste it?  Smell it?  Are the sounds of His praises on your lips each day? 

Why not?  Let us consider a few scenarios:

Perhaps you have heard about how good God is all your life—through preaching, teaching, and testimony, but you have yet to taste for yourself.

Perhaps you’ve heard some teaching or preaching that put a slight sour taste in your mouth for a daily full-on God experience.  And now you are hesitant about diving in.  It is time you taste it for yourself.

Perhaps you’ve been told that you have to give up certain junk food in order to enjoy the full-on dining experience.  Not so.  As you begin to acquire a taste for the full-on dining experience, you will naturally lose your appetite for the junk food that doesn’t belong.  That’s the cool thing about God, He takes you—junk food and all.  You don’t have to change your diet before sitting down at His table, just sit down, dive in, and allow Him to help you change your appetite in His time.

Realize a full-on dining experience with the Lord is so much more fulfilling and satisfying than the junk food the world has to offer.  There are no regrets when dining with the Lord.  There is peace and joy at His table!

Look at what the other half of the verse says:  “blessed is the man that trusteth in him”.  This is literally     saying,  “Happy is the person who flees to God for protection, who makes God his confidence.”  Think about this for a second.  It is a beautiful progression:  When you try and experience God presence, He becomes your confidence (you instinctively run to Him for protection), when He is your confidence and protection, it makes for a happy life (even when life is rough).  Look at it the other way:  when you are unhappy, realize it is because you are not making God your confidence, you are not running to Him for protection.  The reason you are not making Him your confidence nor running to Him for protection, is because you are not fully experiencing His presence in your life.  It is time you taste and see that the Lord is good.

You hungry?  You've gotta taste this!

Genesis 3:1-8 is the sad account of Adam's fall.  This week I have been thinking about what life must have been like for Adam before the fall, spending his days walking with God through that beautiful garden.  For a moment, let us contemplate this idea of “walking with God”.  There are two places in scripture that specifically mention people who walked with God:  Genesis 5:22, “Enoch walked with God” and Genesis 6:9, “Noah walked with God.”

The phrase “walk with” denotes a constant and familiar intercourse—as with neighbors and friends in mutual visits and in social concerns.  In other words, having constant and familiar visits with God.

Life is called a walk.  “The walk of life” is a phrase we hear often.  When we become a Christian, our walk changes.  The finish line is now something we look forward too!  You are given the strength to walk circumspectly (diligently, carefully) and the tools to walk worthy (becomingly, appropriately).  And for the entire walk—the Lord walks with you! 

But...is it just a walk?  Or is it “a constant and familiar intercourse”?

After Adam and Eve sinned, v. 8 says, “they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden”.  Even though scripture does not specifically say, we can safely deduce that God’s visits with His creation (Adam and Eve) were constant and familiar.  But, something changed that day.  Because of Adam and Eve’s fall, sin entered the world—which affected their walk with God.  Immediately God set in motion Salvation’s plan!  The ultimate plan to reconcile with His creation.  To get back that constant and familiar intercourse He so lovingly desires to have with His creation.

How often do you think about the fact that salvation’s plan is just God trying to reconcile with His creation (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)?  And every circumstance in the Christian life (whether painful or pleasurable) is just God desiring to keep us close—desiring to maintain that constant and familiar intercourse with us.  Yes…God desires constant and familiar intercourse with us!  He loves visiting with us!

A few more thoughts:

When God visited with Adam and Eve, they were naked.  They brought nothing but themselves, had nothing to hide.  When we visit with God, it is okay to come before Him spiritually and emotionally naked.  First of all, you should not be afraid to be yourself in His presence.  Why is it that people change their voice inflection and terminology when talking to God?  Prayers are so rigid, and almost plastic.  Just be yourself!  Hebrews 4:16 says we can visit with God boldly.  The word “boldly” is translated from a Greek word that means “all outspokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness; with assurance.”  Yes, honor and respect Him as God, but also visit with Him as you would a neighbor or friend.  Secondly, you have nothing to hide when in His presence.  Has it ever occurred to you, it is okay to be totally honest with God?  He already sees everything about you—your desires, emotions, failures, sins—He would prefer to hear it straight from your mouth.  Let Him know how you feel about things.  Whether it be cries of praise or cries of pain, be honest with Him!

Also, When Adam and Eve blew it (and they blew it big!), there were some interesting things I noticed about God.  First of all, He still desired to visit with His creation - even after they had failed Him!  He still came looking for Adam and Eve.  Second of all, He didn’t come crashing through the garden in a righteous fury, angry at them, looking to clobber them for the evil they did.  No.  It was the same caring God as before, walking through the garden, looking for Adam and Eve, lovingly calling for them, longing to see them, desiring to visit with them—even after He knew what they had done.  Chew on that one for awhile.

The question again: Is it just a walk?  Or, to you, is it a constant and familiar intercourse?  As you walk with God, how often do you visit with God?  The way it works is simple:  You talk to Him through prayer.  He talks to you through His Word.  What a sweet visit, when friend communes with friend.

Is your Christian life just a walk?  Or is it a constant and familiar intercourse with your God?

I don't like religion.  It is nothing more than a group of people, motivated by guilt, gathering weekly to practice traditions and preach rules that were made up by some person a few generations ago.  Blah.  Give me something real.  Give me something exciting.  Give me something with life!  Religion is for the birds.  I have discovered the alternative.  Something real.  Something exciting.  Something with life!  Something more than just meeting in a building two or three times a week.  Something more than just going through the motions of doing what is expected of me.  Something that has rocked my world and brought meaning to my life!  Something that religion could never do.  What is it?

A relationship.

That's right.  A relationship.  With a person.  Not just any person.  But the Person Who is responsible for my existence.  The Person Who designed and created me.  The Person Who gave me life.  The Person Who gives me peace I cannot understand.  The Person Who gives me joy I cannot explain.  The Person Who has accepted me for who I am.  The Person Who loves and forgives me, no matter what I have done.  The Person that asks nothing more from me than to love Him and love others.  That Person:  My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Read Matthew 22:34-40.  Read John 15:1-17.  I don't think the Lord gets His kicks from rules and traditions.  I find His true enjoyment comes from a real friendship with me.  (For those of you that are hung up on rules, standards, convictions, etc. - love comes first.  Then the obedience stuff has a way of figuring itself out.  I find that the more I realize and experience God's love for me, the more I love Him.  The more I love Him, the more desire I have to do right.  Obedience and holiness is a natural byproduct of love.  It is not the result of rules and regulations.)

It's not about the law.  It's about love.  It's not about guilt.  It's about gratitude.  It's not about religion.  It's about a relationship.  Something real.  Something exciting.  Full of life!  When I read the red part of the New Testament (the Words of my Savior), I find that He tends to agree:  Religion is for the birds.