Help Yourself!
"I love the house where you live, O Lord, the place where you glory dwells." (Psalm 26 :8)
We were hungry as we made the turn at Pebble Beach
golf course, so we stopped for some food. The refreshment cart was located a
few yards behind number 9 green, so we grabbed a sandwich and coke. As we
waited to tee off on # 10, one of the course marshal’s warned us to protect
our food. The seagulls and crows were famous local thieves- snatching food
right out of the golf cart, if one wasn’t careful.
Two holes later we thought no more about the food situation, until I saw the
seagull stalking our cart. He was walking around it, gazing from all
angles.. Then he hopped into the golf cart, ready to grab some food. He
found part of an uneaten sandwich, which I thought was quite well hidden,
pulled it out of the cart and devoured it. Other birds spotted him feasting
and joined him in the meal.
Sometimes, especially when we move to a new town, we are like that seagull.
We know there is spiritual food in church, and we begin by sort of stalking
around it. We read the marquee week after week and talk to folks who worship
there. Finally, we decide to take the jump into a particular church, just as
the bird jumped into our golf cart. It is when we partake of what is offered
in the House of the Lord that we are blessed. We find spiritual food and
nourishment, and that is good. God has said that we are blessed so that we
may be a blessing to others. When we share what He has given us through the
church, we become that blessing to someone else.
The seagull looked ,jumped in, ate and shared. If you need a local house of
worship, I pray you will do the same thing.
Marion Smith