Taste Test

Psalm 34:8 (NLT)
Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Dylan, my German shepherd dog, is very finicky. Since puppy-hood, he’s been very selective with food. He is so picky in fact he was three years old until he actually swallowed hamburger meat. Cookies, candy, yogurt, prunes (yes, prunes), and any type of pastry appeal to this 102-pound-dog. He will accept sweets instead of a piece of steak every time. He likes lobster, too.

When you hold a treat out for him, he will carefully smell your offering. You could plead and coax him all you want, if it doesn’t smell right, he won’t take it. Some dogs take everything and eat it without hesitation. Not him! If it passes the initial smell test, he’ll carefully take it with his tiny front teeth, making sure it doesn’t touch his lips, and quickly drop it on the floor; a thorough inspection follows. Once he’s completely sure about it, he’ll eat it and come back and see if you have any more. If you offer him seconds, he will repeat the previous steps. Now, if your offering doesn’t pass the final smelling, he’ll leave it on the floor. Sometimes a stern word will prompt him to eat it, like when he’s just being stubborn, but most times, if it is not up to his high standards, your offering will be rejected, permanently.

We don’t have to “taste test” God. Just as I keep offering treats to my finicky dog, knowing there is the likelihood of rejection, God holds out His love and grace to us for the taking. He offers us salvation through His son Jesus. We don’t have to take His mercies hesitantly, set them down for examination and only accept them when we are sure it’s safe. God’s love and goodness is something we can always take-in without a thought or doubt. And, we can go back for as much as we want.



Ezekiel 3:1-3 (NLT)
The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth.


Psalm 119:103 (NLT)
How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.