Image by sveres; Modify by Sunflower Faith
I have to admit that isn’t a pretty picture.
I enjoy drinking coffee, but what I don’t enjoy either is cleaning out the coffee filter by noon, after the grounds have had a chance to really be soaked and packed into the smallest parts of the coffee filter.
However as the hot water slowly filters through the grinded up coffee beans and release the flavor of the coffee, notice that it leaves behind the “garbage”-the grinds that if it goes into our coffee and into our bodies, can ruin the test and quite possibly make us sick in the process.
Just imagine what our “spiritual bodies” must look like when we don’t use His word to provide us with discernment of what we read, think, say or do.
I have that very scripture hanging in the most obvious and busiest place in the house-our kitchen-to remind us each day, that what we put into our minds, into our hearts, should be of the nature that would glorify and lift our Father’s name up in praise.
The scripture is a deep reminder that we, you, I, by free will choice, make that decision everyday in what we choose to read, to watch, to listen to and it’s by those choices that make a difference, good or bad in our spiritual maturity.
When I gave my life to Christ, the first thing I did was go through my purse, my home, my life and cut off, threw away, stopped anything that did not edify or lift up our Heavenly Father’s name up.
My love for Him and what He did for me was so great, that I knew that I could not serve Him, follow Him, lift His name up in Glory, if I still allow the very things that would instead of allow me to see Him, block Him from me again.
That’s what a coffee filter does.
It is a barrier between the cup and the coffee beans.
As the hot water (our lives) pour through the coffee beans (the world), the filter (the Bible), filters out all the yucky stuff and keeps the grinded up beans (t.v., books, music, culture, magazines, everyday life) from mixing up with the now coffee that was pouring into the cup (us).
Without the filter, can you imagine what the coffee might taste like?
Yes, a waste of coffee.
I shudder to think that as a coffee lover.
So when I gave my life to Christ, I threw away books, music, movies, stop visiting sites, stop watching shows and movies, anything that I knew would not make it through the filter (Bible) and was not edifying (the water), of our Heavenly Father (the best coffee in the world).
I knew to live for Him, to follow Him, I had to show more discernment in my life and what I listen and read and watch and I admit, I’m not perfect, and I fall and sometimes there are pieces of coffee grounds in my coffee that leaves me just smacking my lips and making an ugly face and wondering what was I thinking when I tried to make the coffee that way.
Other times, I get pure coffee (His word), cleaned of the coffee grounds and, wow, does it taste good.
The truth I knew was that, I couldn’t have Him and the world. I had to choose and the thing is that our Father did a LOT in my life that I knew I would only let Him down and not get the full experience if I didn’t use that coffee filter in my life.
Even now, anything I do, say, read, watch or listen to, I filter it through His word first and you’ll be surprised and not so happy with a lot of what it catches, but it also reminds us of the old phrase of “Garbage In, Garbage out” that has been used to death.
I love reading His word each day for no other reason but to constantly be like the Bereans and searching His Word the hymnals and the worship music, the fellowship, doing the bible studies, reading the spiritual encouragement and just pushing myself, and challenging myself and sometimes (which is a lot), getting that much needed humbling and conviction from the great Barista (person who makes coffee), our Heavenly Father himself.
We live in a challenging and complex world, but it shouldn’t be a world where we compromise our Heavenly Father and His Word to live in an earthly world that is only temporary.
The best coffee-is the coffee that has been filter correctly. Shouldn’t our lives be covered with His Word as our filter?
This week, Word Filled Wednesday is being hosted by Penny’ @ pennyraine.com/blog
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