Leaning Into Jesus

Psalm 34 says, taste of the Lord. What is it to taste of the Lord? I would say it is getting to know Him on a deeper level, by spending time with Him daily through prayer, and reflecting on His word. Here’s a cooking analogy, to hopefully aid in the understanding, of what it is to taste of the Lord.

A couple of days ago, my wife was cooking some chicken adobo. That is chicken seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, white vinegar, bay leaves, and fresh black pepper corns. When that dish was simmering on the stove, the entire house was filled with the aroma of fresh garlic and vinegar. To some, that may not sound so wonderful, but to me, it was absolutely delightful. That chicken simmering on the stove had a smell so wonderful, you could almost taste it.

Adobe is definitely a favorite of mine. However, when it comes to favorite foods, there are many to choose from. Here are a couple of my favorites. Lasagna, and another is steak covered in onions and mushrooms. Are you hungry yet? Maybe meat isn’t your thing, and that’s okay. We all have our preferences. What do you do when you’re craving one of your favorite foods? Do we go to the store to purchase the food we desire? Maybe we go out to our restaurant of choice, and order our preferred meal.

For Many of us, there are meals we love so much, we could eat them every day, and never grow tired of them. What about the Lord? Is Jesus someone we just can’t get enough of? How much do we love Him? Do we know Jesus enough, to get a taste of who He is? For me, tasting of Jesus is getting to know the the true essence of who He is, and learning about Him on a deeper level. How, by spending time in His word. Nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus. How much should we love the Lord? Let’s take a look at Matthew 22.

Matthew 22:37

³⁷ And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

What does it mean to love the Lord your God, with all your heart mind and soul? Basically, it means to love God with everything that you are. Our heart and soul are the core of who we are. We are to commit everything to God. Giving full control to Him, for the rest of our lives. There are quite a few areas of our lives, that we can show God love as well, and they are:

• Through our Desires – Make sure our desires are pleasing and honoring to God

• Through our Affections – By loving the things that God loves

• Through our Purposes – By asking God what it is He would have us to pursue, and pursue those things

• Though our Will – Choosing those things which are good in our lives, and by aligning our will to God’s

• Through our Feelings – Making sure we are directed by the truth of God’s word

• Through our Character – By living in a Christ like fashion

• Last is our Thoughts – That we reflect on God’s word daily, and remain committed to living through His life-giving word

Loving God with all our heart, mind, and soul, isn’t necessarily an easy task. There are a lot of worldly distractions, that try to pull us away from God. But, the more we learn about God through the study of His word, and the longer we know Him, the more He shows Himself to us.

When we go through storms in life, we witness God’s faithfulness to us, as He stands by our side through trials. When we see Him in our suffering, the deeper our love for Him will grow. Over time, we will continue to see his love, compassion, and mercy for us, if we look for Him. Most importantly, we must get to Know God through His word. Because we cannot love someone we don’t know. To know God is to love Him.