Encourage One Another

You may have heard about or even enjoyed attending a menu tasting. Typically, a menu is developed from three main components: Presentation, texture, and, most notably, taste. Thus, tasting food at an event or trying new meals at home is more involved than most people realize. Tasting food is more than a "good or not" opinion. Master chefs use several strategies when taste testing. One of those techniques is to smell the food. It may surprise you, but 90% of taste is tied to our sense of smell. There are only five taste qualities of food (sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and savory), but there are more than 1 trillion scents a human nose can detect! That is why the practice of taking a sniff before taking a bite is recommended. Studies show that smelling your food will enhance your tasting experience.

We need to implement a similar passion for God. Psalm 34:8 tells us, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him." If we can be so diligent with tasting food, why can't we be more engaged with understanding what God has promised in His Word? God's promises and presence will satisfy you like the best meal you ever ate.
To experience that satisfaction, you need to make an effort to taste all of what God is offering. My mother and grandmother would offer me vegetables growing up, but I would turn them down. However, when I adopted a healthier lifestyle, I began to eat more greens. After eating some broccoli and spinach, I remember thinking about what I was missing out on all those years.

We must be willing to taste all God has, including those verses on obedience that may conflict with our understanding or fleshly desires. See, as we smell the scent of God's Word, we will have a better nose for knowing His will for our lives. We will then taste the promises of God's provision and peace, ultimately becoming our refuge and strength.