Jam
If one has a “British sense of Humor,” then one will have little difficulty digesting this culinary serving of scrumptious, gratifying, yummy, delectable and spreadable delights. If one treats “JAM” as an Anagram, we can get “Jesus And Me,” or “Jesus Always Mine.” Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.” This is oft called the “Gospel Commission,” for us to “Spread” the good news of Salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, to “Spread” it thickly and to “Spread” it afar and wide.
So are we “Spreading” this sparingly, thickly, or not even at all? Are we trying to “Conserve” and to “Preserve,” or are we in “Reserve” or are we just trying to secretly store it all away, all for ourselves? Are we a nice and thick, chunky and sweet, or are we instead just insipidly thin and watery, or even just a bitter and flavorless “Jelly.” If we linguistically play with the word “Conserve” we would make it into “Can-Serve,” for we all can serve in whatever we daily do, think or act, but remember that a JAM in a Jar is useless, and if sealed away it can actually and eventually will perish, no good at all. Matthew 5:13 “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? Or to adapt it to suit our Article, Matthew 5:13 [Adapted] “Ye are the “JAM” of this earth: but if the “JAM” has lost his flavor, wherewith shall it be spread? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, to be recycled in the Compost Bin.” Ephesians 1:23-2:1 “Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins:” We need to forever remain “In Christ” as a JAM must remain in its jar, for the jar to preserve it from any outside contamination, but to then “Serve” us up to the benefit of others, we need to come out and “Spread” the “Good News,” and to “Spread” it generously onto everything that we come in contact with.
Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the LORD [is] good: blessed [is] the man [that] trusteth in him.” We can all sit around a jar of jam and debate, discuss, ruminate and to chew things over, but “the Proof is in the Pudding,” so why will we not come to Christ, dip in and get a goodly amount out, spread it on “the Bread of Life” and tuck right in. 1 Corinthians 11:23-28 “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the [same] night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake [it], and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also [he took] the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the New Testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink [it], in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.”
In Grandma’s age, and back beyond, when meal time was up, one of the first things on the table was a big loaf of crusty bread, the bread board and knife, which was then used to cut it into generous slabs, or lady thin delectable slices. A “Plowman’s Lunch,” is a modern rendition of the old fare of the working man for centuries, rye, oat, barley or some other cheap grain, baked into a bun or small loaf, and each worker got one, along with a lump of cheese, maybe a pickle, an onion, possible a slice of cold meat, maybe a dressing or a dip, but a big chunk of bread is the major part. Workers in Cornwall took a “Cornish Pasty,” a meal in a pastry down the mines with them for lunch underground. These days we have perfect factory made slices, just right for the “Sandwich,” or for the “Toaster” and then spread with our favorite “Jam” or spread, but we still have “the Bread of Life,” waiting for us to abundantly partake of, to feast and to dine upon.
So, how much of “the Bread of Life” do we munch on each day? Do we regularly “Taste and see that the Lord is good?” Do we thickly spread “JAM” on and consume with gusto and enthusiasm, or do we pick at Jesus, sampling tiny crumbs, or do we just “Tuck right on in” regularly every day.
So when you are in a “Pickle” or a “Jamb,” just remember, it is always supposed to be, “Jesus And Me,” or “Jesus Always Mine.” JAM!
If you land up in a Pickle, or land up in a Stew,
Oh what will ever happen, will happen to you,
The answer I guess, will come at the end,
Things left undone, and things to amend,
With Jesus your Saviour, God’s wee little Lamb
Your pasts all forgiven, you are not in a Jam,
So who are you trusting, who has your heart,
Eternity’s a long time, so let’s commit from the start.
There once was a visitor to Mam
Who landed up in a terrible Jam
He sought out our Saviour
Who forgave his behavior,
And now they’re a child of “I Am.”
So why not, “O taste and see that the LORD [is] good:” he is very tasty, especially when liberally plastered with “JAM.”
