Dear believer, read the verse for today again slowly.  Listen, do you hear the Holy Spirit calling, "Come and Dine."  Hear His voice, "Come, my child, taste and see that the LORD is good."  He has spread out a banquet of the bountiful blessings of God and He invites you to come and taste of God’s goodness there.  The dishes on the table are full to overflowing, the aroma is pleasant, it is a feast set before the believer by a most Gracious Host.  God, Himself, invites you to come and taste of this banquet.  Once you have tasted, two things are certain to happen: first, the quality of the spiritual food will be so superior to any worldly offering that you will be astounded.  Secondly, your soul will well up with blessing and gratitude for God’s goodness.

Jesus has a table spread, where the saints of God are fed

He invites His chosen people, "Come and dine,"

With His manna He doth feed, and supplies our ev’ry need:

O tis sweet to sup with Jesus all the time!

Soon the Lamb will take His bride, to be ever at His side,

All the host of heaven will assembled be;

O ‘twill be a glorious sight, All the saints in spotless white;

And with Jesus they will feast eternally.

"Come and dine," the Master calleth, "Come and dine;"

You may feast at Jesus’ table all the time;

He who fed the multitude, turned the water into wine,

To the hungry calleth now, "Come and dine."

C.B. Widmeyer

Have you tasted of God’s goodness recently?  What blessing has He given to you, what answered prayer, what deliverance, what promise kept, what love confirmed?  Did you truly taste and savor it?  If not, go back in your memory and spend a few moments with the Lord, as your gracious Host and Provider.  Thank Him for sharing His goodness with you.  The most marvelous thing should occur.  Just as the remembrance of a delicious food will cause your taste sensations to be stimulated and produce a craving for that food again, so the remembrance of the blessings of God should cause our faith and trust in the Lord to increase and fill our spiritual desire with a craving for the things of the Lord.  In I Peter 2:3, we are told that at salvation we tasted that the Lord is gracious.  Jesus, Himself, is the Living Bread and He invites whosoever will, to come unto Him and eat of that Living Bread.  He promises that those that do will be eternally satisfied.  At salvation, we tasted and partook of the true spiritual food our souls were starved for.  In daily living, we can continually taste of God’s goodness and be satisfied with Him.  In eternity, God will allow us to taste and eat of the fruit of the tree of life, of the hidden manna, and of the array of dishes at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.  Truly, we will be filled with the fullness of the Lord.  God truly supplies for all of our needs.  Our desire should be to feast at His table, not gulp down a fast food supply at the diner of the world.  We should continually crave His presence and seek to fully trust in Him.  As we do, God says that we will be blessed because of that trust.  How sad to think of the many Christians that stand away from God’s banquet of blessings.  They seem to refuse the Holy Spirit’s invitation to come and join in the celebration.  They remain hungry while every blessing is in reach, because they will not trust the Lord with all the areas of their life.  As a result, they have no victory, nor fullness of joy.  Let us heed the Spirit’s invitation today.  Let each of us come to the banquet spread before us.  Let us taste of God’s goodness in the Scripture, in prayer and in His ministry to our needs today.  Surely we will come away satisfied, filled and blessed.

As a missionary bound for Brazil, I claimed this verse of Scripture for the ministry God would give to me.  Being a missionary in the United States did not make my task any less urgent.  It may be hard for some to imagine, but there are many children in our own country, just as around the world, that do not know of the Lord.  The very first soul that was saved after we got to our inner city mission station was a boy named Lucien.  A really "tough" little street kid, Lucien had amazed me with the fantastic stories he made up to cover his life of emptiness and fear.  When he came to the Lord, he told me, "I don’t have to tell those stories anymore, because Jesus is real and He lives in my heart."  Lucien’s fear of circumstances and people was replaced immediately by the healing, healthy fear of the Lord in his life.  I can remember sixty bright little faces, all paying closest attention while I taught outdoor Vacation Bible School in their poverty ridden government housing project.  What joy when twenty-five responded to the invitation!  The little children were hungry for the Lord.  They drank in every word I could share about Him, and, oh, so many responded each time to the Holy Spirit’s call.  Even in the already saved children, there was such an openness to listen, learn and grow.  What a disappointing surprise was in store for me during furlough when I took a group in a large church in the Bible-belt.  Attention was hard to maintain, decisions hard to come by.  What had happened?  It was sad but true, that after hearing the gospel all their lives, many had never been taught the true fear of the Lord.  If we are not to lose our next generation, they must be taught deep respect, awe and reverence for the Lord of all creation, the Judge of all the earth.  No more shallow spoon-feeding, no more gimmicky entertainment, our children need to be taught of and about the Lord!  Even if you are not a missionary or Sunday School teacher, you have a wonderful opportunity to claim this verse in your life and reap eternal rewards.  Each of us has children placed in our lives: our own children and grandchildren, relatives, neighborhood and church children.  To each one you can be an earnest witness.  Think of all the daily opportunities God gives us to share with a little one the reality of God and of His workings.  How often do we get caught up in providing for the physical needs of a child and neglect to care for his spiritual needs.  Gather the little ones around you and teach them the fear of the Lord.  Pray that your church will reach more children.  Pray that they will learn the true fear of the Lord.  They are our next generation.  Let us lay a firm foundation now.  Don’t wait until a more convenient time or until the little ones get older.  My friend Lucien would tell you, there is an urgency: please, share with the children, now.  What a blessing that I was able to lead all three of his brothers and his sister to the Lord.  God reminded me of that necessity when on the day that we moved from that city, Lucien’s littlest brother, Pauly, age seven, was killed.  In my mind’s eye, I can just see Pauly’s arrival in Glory, scuffed up tennis shoes still untied (I can’t imagine it any other way), seeing his Savior face to face.  Oh, what glory!  Thank You, Lord, for laying this verse of Scripture on my heart.  Thank You for the opportunity to teach a little child the fear of the Lord.  Help me to teach others before it is too late.

This verse is a perfect illustration of the meaning of the word redemption.  In the Roman times, when someone wished to purchase a slave, they would go to the slave market.  The slaves had no hope of freedom, they were in bondage and had no personal rights.  Those who came to bid had to prove that they were worthy to claim a slave either by their wealth or position.  There in the midst of the market place, each slave was brought forward and the bidding was made.  When the slave was claimed for the highest price and the purchase was completed, he became the property of his new owner.  He had been redeemed, purchased out of the slave market into a new life of service.  He was then taken to labor in the home or fields of his master.  His life now belonged to his new owner.  No one else could claim him.  We were once in the bondage of sin.  We had no way to escape, no way to release ourselves, no hope of freedom or reward.  The purchase price was declared: The wages of sin is death, and Without shedding of blood is no remission.  It seemed that there would be none worthy to redeem us, and he saw that there was no man... Isaiah 59:16  Then the Lord of all Glory stepped forward in the person of Jesus Christ.  He fully proved Himself worthy to pay our purchase price by His sinless life and absolute Deity.  Knowing the full cost, He went to the Cross and paid the price for our redemption in His own blood.  He claimed us as His own, applied the redemption price to our souls and purchased us out of the market place of sin and death.  We were redeemed!  A remarkable thing would sometimes happen to the slaves of old.  A truly honorable slave owner would often grant to his slaves the position of freed men.  This was usually done in recognition of the worth of the slave after faithful service.  Often times, those released would turn in gratitude to their masters and ask to be made voluntary bond slaves, those who would serve their masters willingly out of loyalty rather than forced servitude.  Jesus is our Gracious Redeemer.  He not only paid the purchase price, but He sets us free to serve Him.  He does not wait for a lifetime of faithful service for this freedom, but grants it to us at salvation because of His great love.  So we should come to our Lord and Master, as willing servants with hearts of love and gratitude.  The term "bond slave" is the real meaning that Paul attached to his frequent definition of himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. Romans 1:1  Being set free, we turn in love to the One who paid the price of great cost.  We are willing to be those that will serve the Lord and be totally given unto Him.  We can be assured that He will be a faithful Master.  We can trust Him because He has never left one that trusts in Him desolate.  One of the dictionary definitions of desolate is "abandoned or forsaken."  Jesus promises the believer, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5  I lived in the desert for six years.  Parts of the landscape were beautiful, but some areas looked desolate.  They were barren, windswept, and dismal.  As the redeemed of the Lord, we do not have to be like a dry desert, barren and unfruitful.  The storms of life do not have to toss us to and fro, like the tumbleweeds.  We do not have to be downcast or disconsolate.  The difference for our life is found in one word, "TRUST."  Let us examine our lives today.  Are we fully trusting in our Redeemer?  Let us remember where He purchased us from and at what great price.  Let us come in gratitude to Him and fully trust in our Master.  In full surrender, let us give ourselves into His hands to make of us fruitful servants in willing voluntary service to our Master.  Then we need never despair.  None of us that trust in Him shall be desolate!

As Christians, we not only can call on the Lord for help, He will be our Help.  When the odds are all against us, when we cannot fight in our own strength, God Himself will take our shield and buckler and He will fight for us.  There is never a point at which we can feel utterly forsaken and turned over to the enemy, because the Captain of our salvation will step out into the battlefield and stand up for our help.  We may feel poor and overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control or by those that would strive against us.  Nothing is beyond our Lord’s control.  In the trials of life He is our Lawyer.  He will plead our cause before the Almighty Judge of all, His own Father.  When we give our case over to Him, we will be amazed at how skillfully it is resolved.  In all our own strife, we can do nothing but become more deeply enmeshed in difficulty.  Our Advocate can take all that strife and turn it into organized victory.  To have that trial resolution, we must first turn the case over to Him, trusting in His wisdom totally.  To plead our own cause with those that strive with us, will only prove disastrous.  To have the Lord Jesus plead for us, will put to silence their cries.  When I think of the Lord fighting against those that fight against me, I imagine the following scene: I see myself as a little child in a shabby inner city alley.  A big gang of street toughs has me backed up against the wall.  I have no place to run, I know I can not fight my way out, the situation looks hopeless and my heart is pounding against my chest.  Then striding down that alley, rays of light reflecting around Him, comes the World Champion Heavy Weight Fighter of all time, the Undefeated Champion, the Lord Jesus Christ.  At the sight of Him all my enemies flee.  He takes my hand and leads me out to a place of safety.  That may be a humorous scene to some, but how often has it happened to you?  Haven’t there been times when it seemed everything or everyone was against you.  You knew in your heart that you were standing for what was right, but still it seemed the things against you would surely win.  You finally called out to God, saying, "Lord, I can not do this on my own, I’m going under. I need your help."  When we are most helpless to fight, the Lord miraculously takes control.  Even if we are laying flat on the battlefield, the Lord will hold up our shield and buckler, the one uniquely fitted for us.  He will stand strong and tall over our weak battle worn body to fight off the enemy.  I had a professor in Bible college who said he was once so ill that he knew he could not hold his shield of faith up to ward off the attacks of Satan.  He had an allergic reaction to a medication and the arrows of the devil were stinging him at a fast pace.  He cried out to God, "Lord, I can’t hold the shield up any longer, help me."  Immediately, he said, a calm came over him.  All through the rest of the physical battle, he knew Jesus was holding his shield of faith.  I have been there, too weak to do more than cry out in my soul for God’s help, even at times unable to do that.  Yet, I was already an enlisted soldier in the Lord’s army and He knows the needs of each of His troops.  Afterwards, I knew that through the battle He had stood over me, holding up my shield and buckler, fighting for me.  I’m glad I have not been tricked into believing in a work’s religion where I would always have to hold up my own shield.  I’m glad I’m trusting in the All-powerful, All-knowing and All-loving Savior who will hold my shield for me.  No matter if I lay near death, or have overwhelming grief or dangerous injury, no matter what the battle or who the foe, my Captain will guard me and He will do the same for you, dear friend.

This is another of the verses I call my "claiming verses."  This one I claimed just before a major surgery.  I was trusting God to bring me out on the other side and I was promising Him that I would praise Him, not just privately, but before others.  So many times we truly give the Lord thanks in our hearts for a blessing, deliverance or answer to prayer.  God is well pleased with our personal gratitude.  But often we keep that gratitude private.  It is like we snuggle it deep within.  Is it because we are embarrassed or concerned with what others will say?  Or perhaps is it because "modern day" Christians have been taught by others to always be reserved and beware of those who would openly praise God.  Or perhaps, more subtly, it is that the devil does not want us to share with others our praises of the Lord for fear that they would be built up in the faith?  I do believe that the last statement sums it all up.  God has not given us the spirit of fear (I Timothy 1:7), but certainly Satan does.  That fear may be a hesitancy to speak out, fear of other’s reactions, fear of being different.  Praise God, when we became Christians, we became different.  God changed us and we became new creatures!  We do not have to fear that others will think we are different, but rejoice that they have noticed!  If we could teach our children and teenagers this principle, they would be less concerned with peer pressure and trying to conform to the world.  They would learn to live more openly for the Lord and to praise Him with their lives.  What a wonderful opportunity we have to encourage others in the faith when we give thanks and praise to God before them.  A blessing shared is a blessing multiplied.  I can remember being deeply touched by the testimony of another Christian and then realizing that through that testimony God had ministered to me personally.  Sometimes it is a ministry of encouragement or joy, other times it is one of conviction or direction.  How often have the experiences of others helped us to see God’s clear leading in our own life.  Perhaps today there is another Christian who needs your encouragement through testimony of what God has done in your life.  Truly this is a part of our calling from God to be ministers one to another.  When we praise the Lord for His dealings, we can be used of Him to minister comfort and mercy: That we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. I Corinthians 1:4  Our life is to be an epistle, a letter, written by God and read by men.  Part of the reading will be by the words we speak of praise to the Lord.  Bitterness, hostility and silence will write a quite different letter to others of the work of our Lord.  We have a great opportunity for ministry, how very sad if we deny that privilege.  What a distinct joy, on the other hand, to know our praise and thanksgiving has lifted someone else.  God works in our lives for our personal benefits, yes, but He also has a wider scope in view.  He has prepared hearts that need the ministry of praise that only you and I can give.  Next time God blesses you, give Him thanks in the great congregation of the saved.  Praise Him among much people, saved or lost.  See Him multiply the blessing!

On God’s prescription shelf there is a sure-cure remedy for back biting, gossip, and bitterness.  It is consistent daily doses of Psalm 35:28!  So often in the Scriptures, the tongue is mentioned as a destructive thing.  How quickly we can wound another’s heart, speak a word out of season or let something slip that we wish we could take back.  At other times, we even give our tongues over to the job of destruction.  Just think of the difference if all the day long we were consciously speaking of God’s righteousness and praising Him!  James reminds us that blessing and cursing ought not to proceed out of the same mouth (James 3:10).  We know that God does not want us to use our mouths for cursing, or causing injury.  The solution is found in our verse, we should speak of God’s righteousness, which is always good, always Amen, and of His blessed praise all the day long.  The more we give our tongue to good employ, the less opportunity it will have to get into trouble!  Wise mothers and teachers know this principle well.  The more constructive jobs you give a child to do, the less time he will have to think of mischief or get into trouble.  If he is busy about doing good, he will not have time to waste on empty or harmful pursuits.  Out of the heart flow the issues of life, and most often our tongue is a good employee of our heart.  We need, then, to start with the source, our heart, and ask God to fill it with praise and all godly wisdom.  Then it will be more natural for us to use our tongues aright!  God’s righteousness and His works to be praised are so many that the hours of the day could not contain all of them.  Surely in each of our lives there is much to praise the Lord for.  Even the things that are difficult and that we perhaps do not understand can be viewed in the marvelous control of God.  We can be thankful that we are not as others without hope or direction, that we can trust the trustworthy God with life’s deepest needs.  We must be like David, and purpose in our hearts that we will use our tongues for God’s glory.  I remember a teenage girl that I had been praying for in a counseling situation.  She gave testimony that she was a Christian, but she spoke with profane words and unseemly conversation.  Not only did it damage her testimony to me, but it affected me negatively.  I had to ask the Lord to renew my mind and refresh my heart with His goodness and purity.  It was an effective lesson to me of the importance of guarding our tongue.  Oh, Lord, help me not to offend You or others with my tongue.  Help me to use it for Your glory and praise, to encourage and edify others.  Help me to purpose in my life today and from now on, to let my tongue be an instrument of praise, a tool of peace, a messenger of kindness and love.  Lord, how I use my tongue lets others form an opinion of me and of my Savior.  Let me never take lightly one response or one word spoken, but remember the great job You have given to me to be an ambassador of the Lord.  Thank You for the gift that no other creature has, that of using my tongue for speech.  Let me use Your gift as a gift of praise to You.  May its use cause others to love You more.

Did you notice how many of the verses this week had to do with praise!  God must know that it is a special need in our lives at this time.  How precious He is to us.  Right in the middle of this verse is an exciting thing, an exclamation point!  Not very many verses of the Bible contain an exclamation point, but this one stops right in the middle of a sentence to put one boldly on the page.  Read the verse again with that exclamation point making its statement loud and clear: How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God!  Think of it, the Almighty God, Creator of all, Holder of all power, Controller of life and death, this God loves us.  He loves us with His excellent lovingkindness.  I was tempted to write the word lovingkindness as two words.  But it is uniquely one.  The specific type of love that God has towards us is that of lovingkindness.  The kindness that He has is a lovingkindness.  What an astonishing fact that, not only does He demonstrate that love toward us, but He gives us the ability as His children to use that same lovingkindness to others.  In our marriages and in our families, we do not just want someone to say that they love us, but what we truly desire is someone who shows us lovingkindness.  Human love can be partly selfish, partly the fulfilling of a need, but lovingkindness goes a step further.  Not just a step, but, as they say in Tennessee, a country mile!  It demonstrates sacrificial love, a love that considers the needs of another, a love that acts on its promises, a love that is tender and considerate.  It is the kind of love every woman dreams about in a husband.  It is a love that will outlast any trial, outlive any physical relationship, heal any earthly wounds.  It is the kind of love that gives us purpose for living.  More excellent than any earthly love that we can imagine is God’s lovingkindness.  The Almighty God, Who is sufficient and complete in Himself, chooses to love you and me.  Oh, what an excellent thought!  Everything that He does for us: His provisions, His salvation, His direction, His protection, His chastening, His blessings, are done for us as a result of His lovingkindness.  One of my professors in Bible college often told us that while all of God’s attributes (or character qualities) were of equal importance and value, if we could look at one as a primary over-ruling attribute, it would be God’s love.  Think for a moment of all the marvelous, wonderful, lasting things God has done for you.  Think of all the ways that He has demonstrated His lovingkindness towards you.  How excellent He is, how excellent is His lovingkindness!  Put the exclamation point in your life today as you think of this marvelous truth.  Then look at the result in our verse, therefore, because of this lovingkindness, we can put our trust in God.  Because we know that everything He does is in direct relationship to His lovingkindness, we can trust fully in Him.  We can know today that the Lord is the One we can trust with all our needs, all our loved ones, all our problems, all our dreams.  When trouble and trial come, we can hide ourselves under the shadow of His wings, in His protective care.  It is safe there, pressed close to the One who loves us with such gentle kindness.  Do you have a need or a trial today?  Remember His lovingkindness and trust in Him.  Put God’s exclamation point in your life!