“In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” Ephesians 1:11-14

I was eating chocolate the other night. Actually, I eat a little chocolate almost every night. More accurately then, I was thinking about the chocolate as I ate it the other night. I was eating an intensely dark chocolate. It was bitter. I still liked it. That surprised me.

I thought about how my tastes had changed over the years. I always liked chocolate. As a child, I was shocked when people served dessert without chocolate. It seemed pointless. My attitude was if you can have chocolate, why have anything else? But back then, I loved sweet chocolate. As I got older, I discovered the joy of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I started enjoying the bitter more. I don’t know why things changed, I just know they did.

As time has gone on, I have tried a lot more chocolate and have come to enjoy some pretty dark bitter flavors. I still have to have some sweetness and creaminess, but I appreciate the bitter with the sweet. I realized that this same change has happened in my Christian life.

When I was a child, I thought living for Jesus was always creamy and very sweet. It was wonderful. I didn’t understand people who didn’t live for Jesus. If you can have Jesus, why have anything else? I loved the sweet life I had with the Lord.
But as I got older, I discovered that life in itself is not always that sweet. So as I have matured, things have changed some. I discovered that I could enjoy a life that is semi-sweet and sometimes even bitter.

I can’t say I have always enjoyed the semi-sweet or bitter like I should. I forgot what made the naturally unpleasant, palatable. It needs cream, butter, and sugar. Most of the time I tried to eat the chocolate of life without those essential ingredients.

The cream, butter, and sugar that make the bitterness of life not just palatable but actually enjoyable are Jesus love, his promises, and the sweet fellowship we have with him. When we take the unpleasant and add the love of Jesus, we enjoy a sweetness that we would not have otherwise tasted. When in the midst of bitter times we focus on his promises and seek to enjoy fellowship with him, we experience a richness and creaminess that is completely and totally delicious.

I read through Ephesians 1. It was a reminder of the butter, cream, and sugar that we as believers have been given. It was a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyable. It is full of wonderful flavor. I just need to add Jesus to the bitter things in life to make them more palatable, or dare I say it, delicious!

Thank you, Jesus, for being the richness and sweetness in my life. You make the bitter, delicious when we add you to the situation. You make all things palatable, and in you we can have a life of abundance. Thank you for the good things in life!
(Originally posted 6/11)