Hammer on Anvil '

Has anyone besides me ever seen the expression illustrated here? Yes, I've heard "nom nom" -- my son and daughter-in-law use that expression quite frequently, usually when referring to their puppy who is just now learning not to devour everything in his path.

When shopping a few days ago, I purchased a healthy popcorn snack -- you know, the kind made only with sunflower oil, popcorn and sea salt. As I was loading my groceries into the trunk of my car, I noticed these words at the very top of the popcorn bag. "Nom Nom Now." Beside the words was a tiny slit, which makes opening the bag easy.

Oh, I get it now. The manufacturers intend that we not wait even until we get the snack out of the grocery store; we can tear it open right then and begin noshing, as if we have absolutely no self-control.

Manufacturers are on to the sad truth that Americans are very impatient people. We want instant everything, and many of us exude an obnoxious air of entitlement, as if the world owes us something.

Unfortunately that sense of entitlement and instant gratification permeates the church as well. We want everything to go our way, and when it doesn't, we gripe. We disagree with decisions the pastor or elders make. The songs we sing are not modern enough, or they're too loud. Why doesn't the pastor use my favorite Bible translation? And God help the unsuspecting visitor who sits in "our seat."

Folks, this isn't what I see demonstrated in the life of our Savior. For starters, Jesus was never in a hurry. Even when He was told Lazarus was sick to the point of death, He tarried longer where He was, so that a higher purpose could be realized. Jesus didn't buy into "nom nom now," even when He had been fasting for 40 days and was very hungry. Every aspect of His life revolved around one thing: His Father's will.

Being in a constant state of hurry is the bane of today's church, and probably the biggest reason that we don't take the time to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn from Him. Instant gratification, too, is a sinister trap that we all do well to avoid.  I love how The Message phrases 1 John 2:15-17:

Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

There you have it in black and white. When we want things in a hurry, want things our way or no way, and selfishly desire things we can't have, we get further and further away from God. He does not want you to go into debt because you can't handle waiting. He doesn't want you to be at odds with brothers and sisters because you are determined to be right at all costs.

We all want to be noticed, and want to feel important. But notoriety from the world generally means enmity with God (James 4:4). Don't look to other people for your sense of identity, or allow your wealth of material possessions to define you. Instead, "fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2).