A Can of Corn
When Liz and I first married we learned many things from each other. She was a country girl and I was a city boy. I was from Houston, Texas (Population 1,000,000 +). She was from Jack’s Creek, Tennessee (Population 100+). That is a cultural clash. My first church was in a farming community. One day my country wife told me that we were going to go get corn and took me to a farm where we picked our own corn. We shucked it, cut it off the cob and made our own cream style corn. I did not say so at the time, but I thought it was not very good. I liked canned corn. I was very young and very, very ignorant.
Growing up my mother made corn often. She would go the pantry, get a can, open it and pour it into a pan. When the temperature was right she would serve it to us. Hmmmm, good! (I hope I did not give away her secret recipe).
Over the years I have learned the difference between superior and inferior corn. Taste is a funny thing. One can get used too things that are not very good. One can even learn to think that inferior stuff is superior stuff.
It is a principle that is as old as the world. Cain thought inferior worship was better than faith worship (Genesis 4). Demas though the world was superior to serving with Paul. (2 Timothy 4:10). Judas thought 30 pieces of silver was better than walking with Jesus.
Unfortunately it is a principle that still allures people today. Everyday people choose the world over the spirit. Everyday people choose sin over righteousness. Everyday people choose lies over truth. Everyday we all have to make those same choices. Joshua challenged Israel:
“If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15).
“No one can serve two masters,” Jesus said (Matthew 6:24). We must learn to choose the superior ways of the Spirit over the inferior ways of the world. This choice should be a “can of corn” for a Christian (That means easy). Choose to follow Jesus.
Lonnie Davis
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