No More Crunch Berries

I love Crunch Berries Cereal. I know, 43-year old men are supposed to eat things like All Bran or Shredded Wheat; but what can I say? Crunch Berries have been my favorite since I was a kid. So this morning I went to the pantry, saw the familiar yellow box, and pulled it off the shelf to fix a bowl of that sweet, crunchy goodness for breakfast. But when I opened the box and looked in the bag, all I found was about 7 pieces of cereal and a handful of crumbs. I have an idea one of my boys has some explaining to do. Anyway, that empty cereal box made me think about a couple of things.

First, the box promised something it was unable to deliver. When I saw the box on the shelf, I believed there was cereal inside; but there was no cereal. How often does Satan do this to us? He shows us things that offer what we greatly desire; but when we take his offer we find that there was nothing but an empty box. He offered Eve the ability to be like God (Genesis 3:4-5); but taking Satan's offer did not make her like God. Instead it drove her from the presence of God. I wonder what Judas expected to get from his deal to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver? When he took the offer, he didn't get what he bargained for. He regretted what he had done, tried to give the money back, and then committed suicide (Matthew 27:3-5).

God offers to bless us when we live for Him. If we seek Him first, He will supply all we need (Matthew 6:33). In Christ, He will bless us with all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). God's offers are reliable. Trust in the Lord and follow His Word and you won't come away empty handed.

Second, that box of cereal had supplied what I wanted for a time; it just ran out. Here again we see a parallel to what Satan does to us. Sin is pleasurable; but that pleasure from sin is limited. "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin" (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV). Sin's pleasures are fleeting and temporary. They will end at some point.

The blessings of following God have no end. Paul said that God has "blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). The blessings He gives us in Christ are from "the heavenly places." I like to think of that as God's heavenly storehouse. Our eternal God has an infinite storehouse of blessings to shower upon the faithful. We will never find a time when we go to God for blessings and find that He has run out. Not only is the supply unlimited, but the blessings themselves last beyond this life. Paul pointed out the eternal nature of our blessings in Christ:

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

So put your trust in the Lord and follow His Word. His blessings will never disappoint you and they will never run out. Oh, and when the cereal box is empty, throw it away; don't put it back in the pantry!