Daily Jewel

By Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
Nov. 3, 2011

“Soaking up the Son”
“Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life…” – Proverbs 9:12 (MSG)

I would like to think of myself as an amateur “wordsmith.” A person who is good at crafting words; such as a writer or an editor. The speechwriter for the president is typically a person who is a master wordsmith. They have to be since the president is responsible for communicating to millions of people, sometimes on a daily basis.
I bring that up because there are certain words that really leap out at me—making what is written on the page come alive which is or what should be the point of everything ever written. And in this case one word not only leaps out at me—it screams to be noticed. PERMEATE.
On average I would say we would use this word in casual conversation perhaps less than one time per week. Given the fact that all of us probably talk quite a bit that means we rarely if ever use this word—but what it means has such implication that we cannot ignore it even though we may not always recognize it in our everyday vocabulary.
The word “permeate,” simply means: “to pass through; saturate; to spread through.” A great example that the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary gives is: “The smell of bread baking permeated the entire kitchen.” I can not only visualize that but I can even smell it as I write!
Maybe that is why I like certain translations—they help me visualize the Word in ways that reach through to me—helping me understand what the author is trying to convey and I have to say I am completely engrossed in this verse in ways that prior to this message probably passed right by me.
“Live wisely and wisdom will [permeate] your life.” How much clearer can that be? How much more needs to be said than what that is telling us? Do we need more? You do? Well okay.
I like to grill. Food just seems to taste better when it is cooked on an open grill—and (my apologies to those who prefer gas grills) you can’t beat food cooked over charcoals or certain woods. My favorites are mesquite and pecan…but I regress. For some time when I cooked chicken it always came out dry. Not that it wasn’t good but it was not as good as it could have been or should have been. Then I discovered that if I let it “marinate” (a fancy word for soak) for about six hours and then grill it, it not only retained the juices but it enhanced the flavor as well. Live wisely!! Marinate your life with God’s Word, Will, and Ways. As we have been saying over the past couple of weeks, life was meant to be enjoyed and experienced. Too many try to live life their own way, under their own understanding and what they discover as the end result is a life that is dry and tasteless. Kind of like cooking with gas instead of charcoal! Sorry, I just had to say that!
Do that (live wisely) and the end result as Solomon says is a life that will be evidenced by others. It is like the bread baking—you can’t help but notice it when you walk into the room. I have been in places filled with people who were non-believers. Their lives were cold, harsh, and UN-envious to say the least. Then, allow someone to enter in who is a true believer, a person whose life is saturated with God’s Love, His Son, and His Spirit, and things change.
I want a life like that! Saturated with Love. Soaked through and through with the Spirit. Marinated in Grace. Permeated with Peace. Just thinking about this is making me hungry. I think I will strike up the grill. Anybody want to join me?
Pastor J. T. Carnell