“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103
One of the “sweet” things about the Christmas season is the abundance of candy. One of my favorites is the candy cane. I enjoy the minty flavor. There are other similar candies that I equally enjoy: peppermints, chocolate mints, butter mints, and maybe a few other kinds of mints as well.
You know the Bible is full of “mints” also, and I’d like to share a few of those mints with you.
The most important mint is atonement. Atonement means paying for a wrong done. Jesus did that when He died on the cross, but it was not His wrongs for which He died. He sacrificed His life to pay the debt for our sins. The Bible tells us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:8-11). The Bible also says, “Whosever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). When we ask Jesus to become our Saviour, we are choosing to believe in His work of atonement on the cross, and by that, His forgiveness of sins.
Was there a time in your life when you called upon Jesus to forgive you? If you have never asked Him to save you from your sins, or you don’t remember if you have, you can do that today. Simply bow your head and pray. Ask Him to forgive you and become your Saviour, and He will!
If you do remember a time in your life when you asked Jesus to forgive your sins, you are saved by His grace and ready for the rest of these Biblical “mints.”
The second mint is enlightenment. Enlightenment means attaining or having attained spiritual knowledge or insight. We gain enlightenment through the Bible, which is God’s Word. “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:17-18).
Mint #3 is commitment. “Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). Commitment means being dedicated to something. If we dedicate or commit our lives to the Lord, He promises to be with us and help us always. He promises to give us the desires of our hearts as well as meet our needs when we make Him Lord of our lives. “Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established” (Proverbs 16:3).
The fourth mint is encouragement. Encouragement means giving support, confidence, or hope to someone. “Moreover he commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the priests and the Levites, that they might be encouraged in the law of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 31:4). We all know others who can benefit by a word of encouragement, and we ourselves need encouragement. God encourages us through His Word. One of my favorite verses when I need encouragement is a short verse that speaks loudly to my heart. It is Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
The next mint is enjoyment. Enjoyment means to take pleasure in something. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” (1 Timothy 6:17). When you surrender your life to Christ, you decide to live for God. Those who delight in God will have their own desires fulfilled through Him. Acts 3:38 records the words of King David, “Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.”
Mint #6 is refreshment. “That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed” (Romans 15:32). Refreshment means the giving of fresh mental or physical strength or energy. God’s Word is rich with nuggets that perk us up… that refresh us, no matter what the circumstances are that we face. The book of Psalms is one of my favorites when I need refreshing. Many people have memorized Psalm 23 and dwell upon it when they need a time of refreshing from the Lord. Maybe you can remember a favorite verse that gives you strength and refreshes you.
The seventh mint is fulfillment. Fulfillment means the achievement of something desired or promised. Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5:17). The Bible tells us that Jesus lived a sinless life, died upon the cross to become the sacrifice for sin, and then rose from the grave 3 days later to become our Saviour. Only through Him can we be completely fulfilled. When we ask Jesus to forgive us and become our Saviour, we begin the process of fulfillment as we serve Him with our lives. God has promised to continue the work of fulfillment in our lives until Jesus comes again (Philippians 1:6).
The last mint is contentment. Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction. “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6). The world would have us all believe that contentment comes with money, fame, or power. But that is wrong. True contentment comes only from the Lord. Even when times were hard, the apostle Paul was able to write, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11).
This year as you enjoy a mint now and then, remember the “mints” in the Bible, and how you can have a life full of “mints” with Jesus.
Sing them over again to me,
Wonderful words of life,
Let me more of their beauty see,
Wonderful words of life;
Words of life and beauty
Teach me faith and duty.
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life;
Beautiful words, wonderful words,
Wonderful words of life.
(from “Wonderful Words of Life” by Philip Bliss)
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
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Can you find some other “mints” in the Bible? If so, I’d love for you to share them with me!