Mayonnaise (Joe Widick)

Good evening! Lord willing, I am more than three weeks into my trip to Vietnam! Tonight's entry is again from my former colleague/boss/elder/friend/brother in Christ, Joe Widick of Lebanon, Tennessee. Joe often fills in for me while I am out of the country! Keep me in your prayers!

I cannot take credit for the idea for this article.  Elaine gave me the thought while she was fussing about the cost of the mayonnaise.  A couple of weeks ago on our date night (Cracker Barrel and Walmart) we were looking for the mayonnaise.  Elaine picked up a quart jar of the velvety smooth white concoction and started to put it in our shopping cart.  Suddenly she proclaimed, I can’t believe this, it is only 30 ounces.  First I didn’t realize that there is a difference in 30 ounces and a quart.  It looked like a quart jar to me, but it wasn’t, it was two ounces short of being a quart. 

Isn’t it interesting to note how things change in such small and subtle ways?  You have probably noticed this with other items that you purchase.  The half-gallon ice cream is no longer a half gallon, the Big Mac that taste so good seems to be smaller that it used to be.  The list goes on and on.  Things change but they try to give the appearance of being the same.  I believe that this one of the ways in which Satan works in our lives.  He is subtle, sneaky in his tactics to take us in a direction away from God.  Many times, we may not even be aware of the changes that are taking place.  It is as though he is whispering in our ear saying this little baby step away from the truth is OK!  Nothing will happen.  Before one knows what has happened their walk with the Lord is changed.  It happened in the Garden of Eden long ago, and it still happens today.  Think of your own personal walk with God and how it is Satan is tugging at you encouraging you to walk in the darkness.  We need to be fully aware that “...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  (Ephesians 6:12).  Satan appears to us as a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing, seeking who he may destroy.  What happens when you are alone in the wee hours of the night in front of the computer, tired but needing to finish a project?  Does Satan ever come calling and encourage you to change websites, just for a moment, no harm will be done.  It is a beautiful Sunday morning in the fall and Satan whispers take a Sunday off and take it easy.  Maybe it is a class you are teaching, you know what the scriptures say, but Satan once again shows up and murmurs something to the effect, you can leave that out, it is not that important.  There are so many subtle ways that Satan is at work.  Before you realize it, you are less the Christian than you want to be.  You have changed, maybe in just a small way, but there is still change.  Let each of us determine in our lives to be ever faithful to God and His word.  Let each of us not let Satan get the proverbial foothold in our lives.  

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

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E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com