The Seasoned and The Unseasoned

My eldest son and I were discussing in the kitchen, and he asked why the food he makes at university tastes different although prepared with the same ingredients. He was curious. He adds every ingredient at the same time and cooks. I told him that seasoning and timing make a huge difference. He nodded and said he was happy he was at home, anyway.

A well-seasoned food is yummy, delicious, fantastic, and good to eat. An unseasoned food is flat, undesirable, and gives no satisfaction. So is a life that is not marinated in the word of God.

It is easy to spot a seasoned Christian when you meet them. Christ dwells in their heart by faith, they are rooted and grounded in love; they are able to comprehend the breadth and depth of the love of Christ and they are filled with all fullness of God, as in Ephesians 3:16-19.

The seasoned Christian is temperate in all things and understands the times we are in. They walk with their mind renewed and do not mind earthly things. The virtues of goodness, mercy, grace, peace, kindness, and sobriety flow from them.

Their speeches are seasoned with salt. They handle situations differently; they are diligent and circumspective. The seasoned Christian knows what not to meddle with. They resist Satan steadfastly, knowing that he walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. They are not proud, but humble. They weigh every action by the word of God. They are tolerant, dependable, and patient. They love righteousness and hate iniquity. They love God and His word. They are prayerful and are zealous in good works. Honesty and integrity are their watchwords. Such people are a pleasure to meet and relate with. Just as well seasoned food brings joy, so their lives bring smiles and confidence. You want them as colleagues, a spouse, family members, friends. If they are employers you want to work for them, if they are politicians, you will vote for them. If they are in the neighbourhood you want to relate with them. They taste great and bring satisfaction.

On the other hand, the unseasoned Christian remains a babe, tossed back and forth by every wind of doctrine. They are ignorant and unstable. The love of the world is in them, they are fearful and lack faith. They are unreliable and have a form of godliness but deny the power of God.

They are not committed to the things of God. They may look nice and well-presented but like any unseasoned food, they are flat, and you cannot have a lasting relationship with them. They don’t come to the fullness of the knowledge of God, hence their marked inconsistency in the things of God.

As a woman goes to the market to buy choice meat to season for her banquet, so has Christ purchased us with His blood through His death and resurrection. He seasons us through His word by God’s grace. Our part is to be obedient and diligent in soaking in the full measure and richness of the word of God. This is seen through our hunger and thirst for righteousness, a desire to be like him and show forth His glory in us. The glow of God’s presence in the life of a prayerful person also shows that one is seasoned with Him.