The tranquility of my sleep was rudely disrupted by the blare of my alarm clock at five-fifteen this morning. Did I mention AM? I fumbled in the darkness, toying with the notion of destruction. However, I use my Blackberry as an alarm so I reconsidered that notion. I was left with several options at that point. I could push snooze for fifteen more minutes of rest and relaxation. I could reset the alarm for a reasonable time, say seven and get additional rest. The most tempting option was to reset it for six-thirty, get ready and go to the Nibble Nook for biscuits and gravy, country ham and all the trimmings. This notion has had great influence in my life these past few months. The final choice was to head off to the Wellness Center and then on to a healthy breakfast made at home.

Another foundation of our faith is the understanding that choice was implanted into the very DNA of mankind. Adam and Eve were left with options regarding what they would eat in the garden. Their choice left themselves and humanity bearing the consequences of their decisions. Cain faced this dilemma. Angry and sullen that his sacrifice had not been accepted; his anger seethed knowing that God had placed his blessing upon his brother’s sacrifice. While Cain contemplated devastating choices, God intervened, speaking directly to him. “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” (Gen. 4:7 NIV) We can choose to follow Christ unconditionally. We can walk in freedom and grace. We can do what is right; it is our choice.

Forty-eight years of choices have left me a Type II diabetic. Though I bear the consequences, I am glad that I have the freedom to make choices in my life. So, what do you think, did I make it out of bed this morning? Guess you will have to call the Nibble Nook.

Buffet and impulse control, these are words that simply do not go together. Nevertheless, I valiantly stride toward the buffet scanning down my mental list of limitations. “I will eat the salad first.” “I will not load it up with fatty dressing.” A buffet affords me plenty of healthy choices. “I will say no to mashed potatoes.” “I will say no to fried chicken (give me a break, I’m a preacher).” Healthy is the goal. Images of green beans, cabbage, celery sticks, cascade through my mind but never seem to reach my hands holding my plate and the serving ladle. My mind says no, but my mouth says, go baby go! I cry out, like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7, “oh what a wretched man am I…” On the way to the buffet, no never seems to mean no.

In theology the creation narrative is vitally important. It shows God’s design for mankind. It shows His deep love for us, hand-making humanity in His own image. And it communicates a deep truth that is lost in this buffet style of Christianity that is prevalent today; when God says no, He means no. I know that God’s grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). I know that God loves us with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3). I know He is faithful and just to forgive our sins (1 John 1:9). Notwithstanding any of those truths, God still expects us to obey Him. When He says no, He means it. God extended an immense buffet of foods for Adam and Eve to eat. His only limitation was that one tree was off-limits. Sadly, they went to their buffet, listened to Satan as he weakened their resolve, and gave in to the weakness of buffet life. And mankind has been paying the consequences of that choice throughout human history.

So, let’s step away from the buffet. It may not be popular or appealing to discipline ourselves but it is vital to our spiritual growth. “No” must be initiated into our vocabulary. Samuel summed it up best when he said, “… Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. (2 Sam. 15:22)

I guess I won’t be going to Phil’s for lunch today.

There is a phenomenon that is sweeping America. It is called, The Food Network. What makes this channel so remarkable is that it has found a home in the TV viewing habits of both men and women. Using competitions, like The Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, Chefs vs The City, and Chopped, men have began to switch over when the coverage of interesting sports (football and baseball; nothing else counts that much) is diminished. Now they have hooked me on a non-competitive show, it is called, The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

Like Pavlov’s dog, every time that show comes on I begin to salivate. It speaks to the deepest veins of fatness rooted in my subconscious. My mind begins to scroll through the annals of all the great foods I have eaten over the years. What would be the “best thing I ever ate?” Without question, one delightful morsel comes immediately to the forefront of my culinary lust glands. On a cruise, some years ago, Jan and I had a delectable bread pudding that literally melted in our mouths. The bread was succulently sweet. The fullness of raisins popped in your mouth. It was held together with a lemon crème sauce that oozed with “yumminess.” It was “the best thing I ever ate.”

As I began to consider the foundations of our faith, I remembered this bread pudding. When we consider who God is, two truths come to mind. First, the Lord is one God (Deut. 6:4). An additional fact is equally true; there is a single Godhead, eternally co-existent in three persons existing distinctly, yet remaining one (1Pet. 1:2; Col. 2:9). This is referred to as the Trinity. Now here is where the bread pudding thing fits in. That wonderful dish consisted of bread, sweet and light, which could be eaten separately. Raisins, a fun snack, add a distinct flavor. The lemon crème sauce is almost too delicious to eat by itself, yet it adds a certain “unami” to the bread pudding. Remove any one of these three ingredients and the dish would cease to be bread pudding. The Godhead is three in power, activity and purpose. Yet they are one. You cannot understand the deity of God apart from the Godhead. Broadman sums it up this way, “The Father is all the fullness of the Godhead invisible (John 1:18); the Son is all the fullness of Godhead manifested (John 1:4-18); the Spirit is all the fullness of the Godhead acting immediately upon the creature (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). I love it when food and theology come together.

I have a friend who believes that “buffet” stands for “big ugly fat folks eating together.” While this may not be a universal truth, it certainly seems to apply in my case. A buffet does not always provide the healthiest eating environment.

A healthy meal has structure and order. It is designed, from the first course to the last, to balance taste and health. This is in stark contrast to the “grab and go” mentality of a buffet. So, as we embark on this study of the foundations of our faith, let’s set this study out like a fine meal, with a divine design in place.

This first course whets our spiritual taste buds. It comes in as a dual appetizer. First, it answers this primary question, “Why are we here?” Whether it be the founding fathers of the faith, the Westminster Confession, or Spurgeon, they all agree that the chief end of man is to glorify God. Scripture makes this truth abundantly clear. Psalms 86:9 tells us that all nations were made to worship the Lord. First Corinthians 10:31 shows us that everything we do should be with a thought of glorifying God. Revelation 4:11 seems to communicate this truth most succinctly, “Thou are worthy, O Lord to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

The second appetizer of this course addresses the unasked question, “What is God?” Mankind has been munching on this question for many millennia. Tasty dishes from our own imagination have been created to define God. We have made god out of wood, brass, stone, and flesh. We have made God look like man and today even try to make man into God. But the tastiest dishes are those flavored with truth. Here is truth. God is Spirit (John 4:24), infinite (Job 11:7), eternal (Ps. 90:2; 1 Tim. 1:17), unchangeable (James 1:17), wisdom (Ps. 147:5), and omnipotent and omnipresent (1 Kings 8:27). There is but one God, as clearly shown in Deuteronomy 6:4. He is the living and true God of today (Jer. 10:10).

We have started our spiritual meal with key bedrocks of the faith. We have a great and mighty God, all-powerful and knowing, who is worthy of all our praise and honor. As we worship Him, we discover the depth of our purpose in this life.