Faith column: Cold soup and other strange things – McDowell News

To say that we are living in strange times is a great understatement. COVID-19 has changed the way we view what is normal.

This time of year is especially hard because our high school and college seniors who would be graduating are looking for new ways to celebrate their achievements.

I pray that we all attempt to see the positive possibilities of being Christlike in a world that is scared and seems to thrive on bad news. Jesus Christ is good news yesterday, today, and forever.

A few years, my church sponsored a cruise called, Salt and Light. The idea comes from the Scripture in Matthew 5:13-14, when Jesus described his followers as Salt and Light.

I believe a follower of Christ can make a positive difference anywhere, and the more believers you have in one place, the greater chance you have to inspire someone to come to Christ.

The cruise line that we selected knew that we met every day for prayer, praise and Bible application time. They provided us with a room and prepared for our meeting. We had several guests who had heard about our Bible time and joined us for this special meeting while we were on the high seas.

For me, it is the only way to go on a cruise, to have a group of Christian people who want to enjoy the beauty of Gods creation and to worship him on the ship.

I would encourage even the greatest of land lovers to give this a try and not to be worried about getting seasick, because they do make medicine for stuff like that. My doctor gave me a small patch that I wore behind my ear to stop motion sickness, or at least to slow it down. I have been on four cruises and have never gotten sick. I believe the main reason I have fought off seasickness is because I keep my mind on the positive reasons I am on the ship, namely to represent Jesus Christ.

Something else that I also look forward to is the food. If the ship never left dock, the different foods you get to try are worth the trip. You can order anything on the menu and many times as much as you want.

I am familiar with some of the food, while other foods are items that I cannot even pronounce. However, that has never stopped me from at least giving foods from different parts of the world a chance to tickle my taste buds.

One such item that I have encountered on the menu is something called vichyssoise which to us regular folks is cold soup. I realize that there is more than one temperature to eat something or drink something. I will drink hot tea as well as ice tea. I enjoy chocolate at room temperature, cold, and even melting hot, why should soup be any different?

Well folks, it is different, and I dont mean in a good way. It is like trying to eat something that somebody else has already tried to eat but they didnt like it, even when it was hot. Even a fancy foreign word cant convince me that I am taking a stab at culture and improving my IQ by eating something that my palate is telling me to throw overboard and feed to the fishes. Some things should never be served cold.

A few days ago while I was studying my Bible, I came across a passage of Scripture that brought back the idea of cold soup. In Matthew 24, Jesus was describing the events of the Last Days. Verse 12 says, And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

As I prayed about this Scripture I realized that a person does not have to participate in lawlessness to be affected by it. If the devil can get you to take your eyes off Jesus and place them on all the crazy things that are taking place in the world, your heart will grow cold. God never intended for your heart to be cold towards him or to the needs and challenges of this world. The only way you can check yourself for a cold heart is to look into the use of your time, talents, tithes and offerings. How much time do you give to spend with God in prayer? How do you use your talents for Gods glory and for the encouragement of others? How do you use your finances to honor God by giving back to him what he has given to you? If you have an excuse in any of these areas for not giving your best to God, chances are you have a bad case of the Cold Heart.

The only cure for the cold heart is to get where Jesus is and stay close to him. Jesus will make sure your heart stays at the right temperature every day of your life. Remember, dont give in to sin. Think about it.

Vince Hefner is pastor of First Baptist Church in Cherryville.

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Faith column: Cold soup and other strange things - McDowell News