Daily Wisdom 02-07-2003 Wake Up and Smell the Jerky

That's when it hit me that I might have something. What if I peeled it off the bottom of the pot and cut it into plastic-looking strips? Voila! Coffee Jerky! Just think what this could mean to all those heavy eyed weekday commuters. Instead of sloshing scalding coffee in their laps and all over their nice leather seats, they could just pop out a hunk of coffee jerky. I'm thinking it would be a great way to make a pot of coffee last all day, too. It would take several hours just to get it all out of your molars. Residual caffeine!

And don't you think it would be great for roofers? If there's anyone who doesn't want to doze off on the job, seems to me it would be a roofer. But how can he juggle a thermos up there? Not only would coffee jerky solve the thermos-juggling problem for a roofer, but if he happened to run out of tar, he could just plunk down a few strips of jerky--instant roof! Hmm, I wonder what would come out of the drainspouts in the first post-jerky/tar rain. I'm telling you, there are far reaching applications and implications to this jerky deal. This discovery might help to keep our entire society more alert!

Alertness is a good thing. First Peter 3:8 instructs us to "Be self controlled and alert," and then tells us why: "Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Creepy, isn't it? It would terrify us if we didn't have the rest of scripture to tell us that our Heavenly Father is infinitely more powerful than the Enemy. We even have the next verse in the passage to charge us to, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith."

There's also powerful instruction in the verse right before: "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (verse 7).

Casting all your anxiety on Christ doesn't mean you have to slip into a vegetative state. In java jargon, "stay perky." "Self-controlled and alert," remember? It's when we surrender our troubles to him that we are truly freed to be alert to Christ-centered things--the things that count. It's better than anything caffeinated yet it won't keep you up at night. As a matter of fact, giving your anxieties over to Jesus is exactly what you need for a peaceful night's sleep. Put that in your pot and perk it!

I'm hoping I don't lose a lot of sleep mulling over marketing plans for my coffee jerky. But the next time you hear it mentioned, it just might be followed by the words, "Operators are standing by."

If you're interested, there is more information about:
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The most important Book of all time.

Contributed by Rhonda Rhearrhea@juno.com
Rhonda Rhea writes for dozens of other great Christian publications and speaks at conferences and events across the country. Her new book,Amusing Grace,is due out in March. Rhonda's husband, Richie Rhea, is pastor of First Baptist Church of Troy, Missouri. You can contact them through her Web site:www.rhondarhea.net