Yesterday I was making homemade pizza for our dinner. I really enjoy cooking with fresh vegetables. As I was slicing and dicing, my mind began to wander. How many kinds of peppers are there?
I had just chopped jalapenos, green bell peppers, used diced green chili peppers and sprinkled on some fresh ground black pepper. When the pizza was done, we would sprinkle on some red pepper flakes. There are ghost peppers, habanero, poblano, serrano, and those are just the ones that I am familiar with. How many other kinds of peppers are there around the world?
Why didn’t God just stop after he had created three or four varieties? Wouldn’t that have been enough to add spice to our lives?
As I was pondering that I began humming a children’s chorus from Sunday School days: Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.
God did with people what He had done with peppers. He created variety.
“The Scriptures say no one who has faith will be disappointed, 12 no matter if that person is a Jew or a Gentile. There is only one Lord, and he is generous to everyone who asks for his help. 13 All who call out to the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:11-13 CEV
Jew or Gentile (all of us who aren’t Jews), the Lord is generous to us ALL. ALL who call on Him will have salvation. No one is excluded from God’s plan of reconciliation. No one has been set outside of His grace. No one will be rejected. All people have infinite value to our God and heavenly Father.
The family of God is an all-inclusive melting pot from the nations. Jesus told the disciples to go into ALL the world and preach the gospel.
John wrote this in the book of Revelation.
“After this, I saw a large crowd with more people than could be counted. They were from every race, tribe, nation, and language, and they stood before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands, 10 as they shouted
‘Our God, who sits upon the throne, has the power to save his people, and so does the Lamb.’” Revelation 7:9-10 CEV
Heaven will be filled with those from every tribe and nation. The message of God’s love reaches to the whole of humanity. If it could be bought, it would only be available to the wealthy. We receive salvation by grace so that no one would be excluded.
We have so much we can learn from all who are in the body of Christ.
My meals would be bland and boring without the use of peppers. I’m glad God saw fit to make so many varieties to spice things up. But I am even more thankful that He has included ALL who come to Him with sincere hearts into the family of God.
Together we have a way of spicing things up for His glory!