Is American chocolate garbage? From my perspective, I would
say no. I have grown up with it, it taste great. Hershey chocolate has been a
staple in every bag of Halloween candy I ever remember getting. You can’t go
camping without a s’more, most made with Hershey’s Chocolate (Though the best
thing on a s’more is a Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup. If you have never tried it,
go have it, you’re welcome!) Recently I read a couple of articles explaining
why American chocolate taste horrible compared to chocolate you find overseas…
If you don’t click on the links and read the articles, I
will some it up for you. American chocolates main ingredient is sugar instead
of milk and cocoa. Cocoa has to be at least 25 percent of what is made up in
chocolate in England compared to only 10 percent in the USA. Therefore our
chocolate is made to taste sweeter with less natural ingredients. Some of the
ingredients used cause butyric acid smell. This is the smell of vomit. If you
think chocolate smells like vomit, this is why.
Kind of messed up how inauthentic our chocolate can be.
Sadly the same can be said about American Christians faith. On the outside it
looks good but on the inside it’s as fake as can be.
Books have been written about how fake Christians can be.
David Kinnaman wrote the book Unchristian,
which feature six things people thought about when they talked about Christians
in America. It’s not good what people thought. Christians are supposed to be
filled with the love of Christ, and we can totally missed the point Jesus wants
us to make.
This is one of the great things Paul shared about, his
faith. Paul was authentic with his faith and speaks about his faith through the
trials and struggles of his own life. 1 Thessalonians 2: 3-4…
“For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure
motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as those
approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.”
Paul wasn’t trying to play games or trick people into what
faith in Jesus was all about. He tried to show what real faith was about and
not sugar coat it. The word approved is
pretty interesting. The word approved in the original Greek is the word
Dedokimasmetha. This word means, “shown by
testing to be genuine.”[1]
Paul showed a genuine faith. Paul stood
up for a true faith, sometimes we can miss the point.
When
doing a self analysis, would you say your faith is genuine? Looking at my own
life, there were times I would say I was completely genuine in my faith, there
were also times I missed the point completely. I never claim to be perfect. I
am working towards being genuine.
Where
are you in regard to your own faith? If you claim to have faith and know you
are not genuine, what do you need to do to start on a path to genuine faith?
American
chocolate can give a fake chocolate appearance just like our faith can appear
to be fake. As society goes for a more natural ingredients approach in food to
be better, we can do the same with our faith. What are you going to do today to
show a more genuine faith?
Have a
great day.
[1]
Thomas L. Constable, “1 Thessalonians,” in The
Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F.
Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 694.
