Eat Your Vegetables

On Tuesday NPR reported about the new budget bill before Congress. In the bill Congress labels pizza as a vegetable. The argument is based on tomato paste. Originally in order for pizza to be considered a vegetable it had to be served with a half a cup of tomato paste. However, schools would have to serve pizza in a bowl since the pizza would be swimming in tomato paste. At this point, two tablespoons on pizza maybe considered a vegetable in schools. Margo Wootan arguing speaking for the Center for Science in the Public Interest said pizza should be served with a vegetable not counted as one.
Outside the political world this seems ridiculous. From a common sense perspective, no one would ever consider pizza as a vegetable. Even John Daily picked up on this newsbit commenting, "So the one thing that you've all (Congress) been able to sit down and agree upon is that pizza is a vegetable.''
Most people see this as a ridiculous idea. However, not everyone is in agreement. Some people want to label pizza as a vegetable. Just like in everyday life, individuals have their own understanding about how to live. Without an authority outside of ourselves to determine what is good or what is right, all of morality is left to individual preferences and cultural practices. Thanks to God, we not only have an authority outside of ourselves, but that God's rule is perfect. We don't have to worry about God's rule. God's rule is perfectly good and just in every way. Thus, when we trust His authority we are looking outside of our own hearts and mind to direct us to the perfect truth.
How are you trusting God's rule in your life? As you walk on the path of discipleship are you responding to God's call to change from what seems right in your own mind?

Give it up

And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
(Mark 10:17-22 ESV)

When we read this passage, it's easy to think this text doesn't apply to us since we're not rich. In reality we are rich. According to the Global Rich List if you make $20,000 a year you're in the top 12 percent of the richest people in the world. (Check out globalrichlist.com to find out your exact position.) The point of Jesus words to the rich man had to do with the man's heart. The man sounds like someone we would point to as a good person. He's kept all of the commandments since he was a young boy. However, there was one area of his life that he didn't trust God. Everything he owned dominated the passion of his heart. He recognized Jesus as God and wanted to follow Him. However, rather than giving up his belongings and follow Jesus, he wanted the security of his money. When we read about this story, it's a no-brainer. Of course, you sell all that you have and follow Jesus. The point of this interaction isn't for everyone at GracePointe to sell everything and move to Uganda. The point is for you to examine your heart. What is Jesus telling you to give up? What is holding you back from enjoying the comfort and security of the Lord of the Universe?