“But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NASB)
Two teenage girls are in the mall on a late Saturday afternoon. They are mostly window shopping, having quickly purchased a couple of inexpensive items with their weekend allowance, a monetary allowance and not the “allowance” that their father refers to when he says, “I allow you to live here rent free.” “I allow you to sleep in a warm bed at no charge.” “I allow you to eat food you do not have to prepare without giving you a bill.” Do you see the different connotation for the term” allowance?” Anyway, they had spent all their money and were just going from store to store, looking. They had a lot of time before the evening holiday party they had on their planned evening itinerary. Teenagers and itineraries, right? As with the word “allowance,” the term, “planned evening itinerary takes on a different and sometimes conflicting connotation when you consider the teens perspective versus the parents’ perspective.
As they were going in and out of the stores, they passed through a large food court. It seemed like every fast-food restaurant had an employee holding a tray offering samples. The girls, with no money left for even a small snack, took advantage of every snack that was there for the taking. As a matter of fact, they visited some of the sample stops more than once. Living off samples!
They continue window shopping after a free “lunch.” They go into one of the larger department stores and proceed directly to the cosmetic section. These were the days when you could show interest in a certain perfume, and you could get a small vial of an expensive and famous fragrance. It beat trying to rub the fragrance on the page in the magazine advertisements. Come on now! Maybe you tried that one!
One of the girls said, “Let’s get some samples and we will be smelling good tonight at the holiday party.” Back to “allowance” for a minute. They were assuming their father and/or mother would “allow” them to go to the party. Well, back to the theme: “Living off samples!”
You know, believers who have been allowed to see a new day every day of their lives, but unfortunately some are living off samples. What do I mean? Well, some believers only sample the word of God when they attend Sunday School, Church, or on occasions when they are in a bind or in a pinch or all of a sudden realize their dilemma cannot be resolved without Divine help and letting the Lord direct their path or dismiss the .predicament at hand. These Christians are, you got it, “Living off samples!”
But look why am I telling you this? I know you are not living on samples. So, go ahead and enjoy your Saturday and plan to attend worship tomorrow! Get more than a sample! Love you! Be blessed!
“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment.” (I Peter 2:2 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King