"Pass the peas, please."
This is something, I must confess, you will rarely hear me say! I am not
a fan of peas, nor do I try to be! I remember cringing as a child when
I smelled the aroma of peas cooking in our kitchen, warning me that I
would soon be faced with the dilemma of having to actually place them
in my mouth and swallow them - whole! I NEVER chewed the little green
things, for in my mind that would be the worst possible experience life
had to offer! Now I am a "grown-up" and I STILL have that same attitude
about peas… The only trouble is, when my children were younger they adopted
that same attitude, and it was MY fault! Nevertheless, my husband and
I did not allow them to get away with telling us what they would or would
not eat, especially when we received a dinner invitation. As a matter
of fact, we always reviewed their manners in the car before arriving at
the home to which we’d been invited. Each time our children knew exactly
what we would say: “You don't tell the hostess that you don't like anything.
You will politely eat everything placed in front of you and you will be
thankful.”
If you're like me, when we have company at our house, I always try to
learn ahead of time what our intended guests are fond of so that I can
be sure to fix something they will enjoy. Have you ever invited a family
over for dinner and noticed they didn’t partake of something over which
you labored, perhaps openly declaring they don't even like it? How does
it make you feel after putting forth such diligent effort that your offering
was refused? I have learned in life that I should be prepared to eat things
I would not personally fix simply to please the one who prepared it for
me. Can you guess where I am headed with this? Turn with me to the book
of Luke where we find that the Lord Jesus Christ has just appointed 70
disciples. Prior to sending them out into the harvest two by two, He is
explaining some "manners" to them…
Luke 10:1-8 (KJV)
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them
two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself
would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but
the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that
he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold,
I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip,
nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye
enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there,
your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And
in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give:
for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And
into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as
are set before you:
Jesus was a trainer of men, was He not? In this portion of scripture,
He gave these seventy fellows a burden for lost souls. He told them that
the harvest truly was great, but that the laborers were few. Jesus created
in them an understanding and a sense of duty that they were to help meet
this need. He stressed the importance of prayer every step of the way.
Our Lord even informed them what to take and what not to take on their
journey. He also warned them that the job would be tough. They might even
experience some intense moments of danger and temptation out there in
enemy territory as they sought to serve the Lord. And lastly, they are
told to eat and drink whatsoever is set before them.... This somehow seems
an irrelevant detail in light of the other serious instructions Christ
brought up. Why do you suppose that Jesus told them such a thing? Why
do we tell our children to eat what is put before them?
These disciples were ambassadors of peace, representatives of the Lord,
bringing healing, deliverance, and the good news of the gospel to the
lost. It was not necessarily a message that would be warmly accepted,
and more often than not, it would be rejected. By faith, they would have
to accept whatever came into their lives; they would not be able to direct
their own affairs. These men would have to trust God to provide homes
and food for them, and hardest of all, they would have to accept the help
and hospitality of others. What a lesson of humility there is behind the
statement, "Eat such things as are set before you."
1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)
Whatsoever therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God.
Ladies, whether we are in the harvest field, on the highway, or in our
homes, our highest privilege and greatest joy ought to be to do the will
of God! No doubt about it, if they were going to survive, this would have
to be the disciples attitude as they carried out the call of the Lord
in their lives. In the same way Jesus exhorted the disciples to do right,
we also want our children to eat what is set before them because they
are representatives of our home, the family name, and the way we do things.
Their behavior is a reflection on us as parents. What kind of training
are we giving our children, ladies? As children of God, are you and I
aware of Who it is WE represent each day in the way we react to the things
that are placed before us? What does the world see in our lives? Are our
noses turned up in prideful rejection of that which has been provided,
or are we humble enough to eat whatever is placed before us? We must follow
the example of Christ…
John 18:10 & 11 (KJV)
Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant,
and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. Then said Jesus
unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father
hath given me, shall I not drink it?
Here comes a band of men to arrest Christ and what does Peter do? In rebellion,
he fights against the plan of the Lord and pulls out his sword against
a soldier! What about Christ, what do we find our Savior doing? In humility,
He accepted what the Father placed before Him and willingly submitted
to God's plan. Jesus knows that Peter has not learned such manners in
his own life. I wonder ladies, have you and I been more ready to pull
out our swords and fight against God's will rather than yield to whatever
is placed before us? The Son of God always accepted and never refused
what the Father set before Him because He knew Who had lovingly prepared
it! Jesus ate of the least favorite things because of His desire to please
the One whose hand had filled even this difficult cup for Him to drink....
Psalm 40:8 (KJV)
I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
Our Father in heaven chooses all the ingredients that go into each of
our lives, daily preparing them in love and then setting them before us
- those difficult experiences, the sufferings, the uncertain times, those
less than desirable situations you and I would not select for ourselves.
What happens then? Do we turn up our noses at the aroma of our least favorite
experiences and reject them with a pious, "Yuck!", or do we submissively
eat and drink what is placed before us, desiring to please the One who
prepared it? Ladies, we never need fear or become anxious when we know
the God of all proceedings! Our Father will not poison or hurt us because
He loves us! There are no hidden bones for us to choke on or die from
consuming. In humility, we must accept each meal, or rather, each experience,
coupled with complete trust in the Lord. What kind of an emissary are
you today, dear lady?? If the Lord sent 70 disciples out and told them
to be mindful of their manners before the world, we ought to be mindful
of ours too, don’t you think?
1 Tim. 4:4 (KJV)
For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be
received with thanksgiving:
The next time you sit down to eat a meal and your children make faces
or comments about disliking what is set before them, what will your response
be? I hope you'll remember this lesson and share it with them! If neither
parent nor child is willing to take their daily ration of food, we'll
carry that same haughty attitude over into our spiritual lives toward
the Lord. Don't let your children turn up their noses and refuse anything
provided them by their authorities! Make them eat every bite AND thank
the Lord for it too! Thanksgiving to God has a sanctifying effect upon
everything. I know physical food has no moral quality to it, but it acquires
a certain holiness when our attitude toward it changes.... even peas!
Whether spiritual or physical, that which God provides must be partaken
of as nourishing to our life, good for us, and good for God's service
as well.
Genesis 1:31 (KJV)
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good....
“Pass the peas, Lord! I even promise to chew them! And Lord, thank you
for peas...”
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
Revised 2004
