Fair Food.
I’m a fair food junkie. Give me roasted ears of corn and a giant turkey leg any day. But here in Oklahoma, our state fair offers more than strawberry shortcake or cotton candy. And because of the vast variety, my annual challenge developed:
“What is the strangest thing you can find to eat that will be served to you ON A STICK?”Why on a stick?
Well, if you’re the vendor, on-a-stick means you don’t have to provide plates. Your food just became a hand-held treat. It cuts costs and offers less waste. As the consumer, you can eat with your food in one hand and your drink in the other and still be walking around. More time to gawk at all the fair goodness. The venue needs fewer tables. There is less environmental waste.
And, face it– it’s fun to eat things on a stick.
Caramel apple. Cheese, Cotton Candy. On a stick? Yep.
Pizza. On a stick? Yes.
Alligator? Rattlesnake? On a stick? Sure.
Deep Fried Twinkie? Bring it on.
So, where am I going with this?
Let’s look in Numbers 21. God’s people were whining to God…AGAIN. (v. 5) “Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?”
–Duh. They were too scared to enter the land God had provided for them.
“There is no bread. No water. We detest this miserable food!”
–Sure. Manna might get old, day after day. But God had provided a land of milk and honey for them, and they turned it down.
Well, God had had enough. He sent venomous snakes among the people. Many died.
And it got their attention.
(v. 7) “We sinned. Ask God to remove the snakes.”
Do you see that? ‘Ask God to remove the snakes.’ They wanted God to do the work.
A Snake Field Test
God responded with a test of their faith. God had Moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole (aka: a stick) so that whenever you were bitten, all YOU had to do was look up and live.
**Look to the one thing raised high above.
If you don’t believe it’ll work, too bad. Look up and live.
Faith + Action = Healing
For us, Jesus is the one lifted high on his cross. We must look at him in faith to live.
He is the Bread of Life – on a cross. And that, my friend, is better than any fair food on a stick.
Praying for you today that you have an extra measure of faith today.
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