sweet-sour
“In my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey, but when I swallowed it my stomach turned sour.” —Revelation 10:10
Imagine hearing a voice from heaven. Then you meet an angel, a gigantic angel who stands “on the sea and on the land” (Rv 10:8). This angel commands you to eat a little book (Rv 10:9). Books are not your favorite food, but try saying “no” to an angel. Surprisingly, the book tastes sweet, although later it tastes sour in your stomach and gives you indigestion (Rv 10:10).
Eating the little scroll is accepting God’s call to prophesy. This ministry of prophecy works out well initially, but later becomes a bitter experience of rejection, suffering, persecution, and martyrdom.
Many of God’s callings are also sweet-sour. For instance, how sweet was your honeymoon and those first months or even years of marriage! Yet now you may be rejected by your spouse or struggling to keep your marriage vows. How sweet it was when you first gave your life to Jesus and joined the Church! But now you, like Jesus, may feel sick to your stomach (see Rv 3:16) when you think of loving the Church and laying down your life for her (see Eph 5:25).
When sweet turns to sour, we feel like turning our commitment to unfaithfulness. However, by God’s grace, we can be sweet to Jesus, even if life has turned sour.
Prayer: Father, I offer You the sacrifice of faithfulness. May this be sweet to You.
Promise: “The entire populace was listening to Him and hanging on His words.” —Lk 19:48
Praise: George and Pamela persevered through some bad times to celebrate fifty years of marriage. God has restored their marital joy from the “years which the locust has eaten” (Jl 2:25).
Reference: (Attention! The Holy Spirit’s Call to Men: Ignite Your Fire, Dec. 5, is a popular one-day retreat just for men. Call 513-373-2397 or see www.presentationministries.com for more information.)
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