Apples. All I needed was apples – Honeycrisp apples, to be exact, crunchy and sweet as candy. It was a rare afternoon when I had a few minutes to spare and no one tagging along while I ran into Kroger on the east side of town to pick up a few apples. Just apples.
But somehow I found myself in the foot care aisle Googling pictures of plantar warts (I do not recommend this while also shopping for food). My distraction paid off when a voice announced: “Attention, Kroger shoppers! This location has been selected from all the Kroger locations across the country to be part of a very special offer. You’ve seen us on QVC, now see for yourself a limited number of free gifts being made available for a very limited time. Please make your way to the end of Aisle 5 between Seafood and Housewares to receive your free gift.”
I paused. Though about it. Mulled it over. But then I moved!
At first, I was joined by one or two other shoppers—none of us making eye contact, all of us pretending we simply needed to grab some frozen shrimp cocktail—nonchalantly meandering toward Aisle 5. Right around the soup aisle it became obvious that half the store was steering their cart toward the siren’s call. When the loudspeaker blared that there was only a minute left, we abandoned our groceries along with our misgivings and pressed toward the flashing red and blue lights atop a raised platform stage surrounded by baskets of produce.
We lingered on the fringes, wary and suspicious yet intrigued and interested. Soon a smocked man wearing a chef’s hat took the stage and directed us to step closer—step right up, just one more step, now one more!—until his audience was packed like the sardines in Aisle 10. If escape became imminent, I made sure there was room to slip away between a display of tartar sauce and a tower of cookie sheets.
With fitting fanfare, the chef whacked and diced, chopped and sliced! A floating shark made out of a cucumber materialized beneath his skilled hands (perfect for your punch bowl), then a cantaloupe cornucopia for your Thanksgiving table—all made possible by the power of a single tool, The Glamorizer, something no kitchen in America and certainly in Lancaster, Ohio should be without.
Now I don’t mean to brag, but just the week before I had won the Blue Ribbon in the Decorated Vegetable category at the Fairfield County Fair, fulfilling a lifelong dream. I have books on how to make garnishes out of green onions. I scour farmer’s markets for strange shapes and textures to carve into cute little vegetarian creatures.
I need The Glamorizer.
And now I have one. But wait! There’s more! I also have a couple of carving knives, four steak knives, a chef’s knife, a spiral slicer and—get this!—a book of “Professional Garnishing Secrets.” No, it wasn’t all free. And yes, I have also been the proud owner of a Chia Pet and a Pet Rock.
God is as relentless as an infomercial pitchman in His pursuit of us! He knows we’re a hard sale, but He continually sweetens the offer. He throws in the free gift of eternal life and tops it off with peace on earth. Won’t you call now? Operators are standing by.
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;
and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”
Isaiah 55:1-3
Thank You, Lord, for orchestrating each moment of my life in an effort to draw me close to You. Thank You for luring me in with your goodness and grace. Please help me to respond to the siren call of Your Holy Spirit, and to never reject Your offer of salvation and abundant life.
Read Hebrews 4:12
- Sharper than a Ginsu knife, the word of God always cuts to the heart of the matter. Can you recall a time when God placed just the right word in your path at just the right time?
- Do you still abide by that personal word God spoke just for you?
- How does God’s word judge our thoughts and attitudes?
- Do you allow His word to be your judge, or do you set your own standards for acceptable behavior?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:20
- Are you comfortable in your role as Christ’s ambassador?
- What is your biggest fear about talking to others about Christ?
- Christ’s ambassador’s message is to be reconciled to God. What does this mean in our everyday lives? What does it mean for eternity?
- Do you remember the first time you felt deep conviction about Christ?
Read Philippians 4:9
- Who has demonstrated a life of faith for you?
- Are there people in your life, past or present, who model a life of faith that you aspire to?
- Are you giving an effective demonstration yourself?