"Key Ingredients"

"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengtheneth man's heart." (Psalms 104:15)
Just in case you were not listening to the message, it was about 'purpose,' something that God has intended for man from the very beginning. When we loose sight of that, we tend to give up and feel discouraged, even at the sign of being blessed. It is kind of strange how that works; it's almost as if a sign of blessing speaks to the chance of being back in the race, a race that we no longer want to be in, mostly because we do not feel as though God can use us anymore. As I was driving down the freeway yesterday afternoon, I was listening to Mike and Mike speak to someone about suicide. It caught my attention because Pastor Bryan spoke of it also this last Sunday; as we were finishing up the last chapter of 1 Samuel. All of the sudden I was thinking about what I would do if I became homeless. I know it sounds strange, but for some reason it was somehow relevant to the conversation. In my mind I played out the craziest plan: that I would find the busiest and trashiest highway I could, go down to the Highway Department, and request a sign be posted for my service to clean up that stretch of highway. The sign would say, Highway Cleaned By: "Some Homeless Guy." I know it sounds crazy, but you imagine the possibilities in that situation; a person could become an instant celebrity; people would quit just throwing trash, and they might start throwing a little money. Anywho, here I go again, spiritualizing the text; as many have accused me of doing. There are three key ingredients listed above, "wine," "oil," and "bread." This might seem rather off the radar to some, but the way I see it, these are the three primary ingredients to a man or woman's calling and ministry.
The wine represents the Spirit of God, the oil is the anointing, and the bread is God's word. The wine is easy, for it is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are moved; 'glad' is another way of saying that you are joyful or rejoice; it is stronger than laughter, it is more about having a joyful brightness. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are easy to spot. If you don't think so, then try walking into a place where you don't belong, and notice the looks that you get. The oil is anointing, because that is figuratively, richness. You know, before all of this stuff we collect, a man was rich by how many children he had; but that was back in the day when children were a blessing and raising them was a purpose. Richness is closely associated with purpose; as is the anointing for any particular service, as a king, or a knight, or a priest. When you know that you have been anointed for what it is that you do, then your face will literally shine while you are doing it. I'm just saying; which reminds me, need I say more...
"These people have left the churches, but they never really belonged with us; otherwise they would have stayed with us. When they left, it proved that they did not belong with us. But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you his Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don't know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also. So you must remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us." (1 John 2:19-25) NLT