It's these quiet times alone with the Lord that I really love. Just Him and me...with my notebook and tea. And stale corn chips.
I got hungry for a snack to go with the tea, and found a whole bag of corn chips. Boy, was I happy, something to munch on. That is, until I put that first one in my mouth. Expecting a fresh, crunchy corn chip, I chomped down on this stale thing and was sorely disappointed.
Oh, the package was just fine. It promised "Fresh until June 25th." Only it wasn't. And it's only May 25th. It didn't deliver on its promise, but fell waaaaay short. Well, I was hungry, so I ate a few of these stale chips anyway. They didn't satisfy the need, for something was missing. What was it? It was the "fresh."
And God used stale corn chips to show me a mystery in the spirit realm. You can survive on stale corn chips, but you sure won't enjoy it. You can get saved, and let your relationship with Jesus go stale, and still survive, but you'll never be happy.
God wants our walk with Him to always be fresh and alive, not stale like these old corn chips. God's Word is fresh every day, and it never gets stale, so it will never leave a bad taste in your mouth. It always satisfies your every need.
Another thing, if you open a bag of chips, and don't close them up really good, they get stale. And the next time you eat one you will be disappointed. This also has a parallel in the spirit realm.
When you get married, for example, and you don't treat your mate like the day you got married, then pretty soon, you see the romance fade away. What happened? It lost the "fresh." And then it's downhill from there.
Instead of this wonderful marriage, there is a stale, worn out relationship. The joy is long since gone. Oh, you're still married, but it isn't fun anymore, it's no longer alive, but just existing. Who would have thought the marriage made in heaven would end up like this? It surely wasn't their intention when they got married to let this happen.
What happened? Well, something got out, and something else got in. They got their eyes off each other and onto other things. Too many distractions, and not enough time spent together staying in love.
And then, one day when the pressures of life were heavy, there wasn't anything left to draw from, and they just walked away. Another one bites the dust. But it didn't have to be that way. It could have stayed fresh forever, had they taken the time to close the bag and keep the fresh in.
How is your life right now? Is it full of life and excitement? Do you look forward to each new day? Or is it the same ol', same ol'? And if you're married, are you still in love and is your mate the joy of your life?
Take a new route to work today and see some new sights. Consider finding new solutions to old problems and break out of the mold. Do something really special for your mate today. In fact, court your mate again. As you let your spouse know how very special he or she is to you, you will see the life flow back into your marriage.
Most importantly, how is your walk with the Lord? Is it fresh and alive, or is it more like a stale corn chip? Take inventory right now, what clutter do you see in your life that you can live without?
A beautiful picture on your wall can absolutely make a room special. But if you hang other stuff all over every available space, the picture kind of gets lost, and the room loses its appeal. So it is with our life. Weed out unnecessary things that distract you from the real goals in your life. Learn to say "No." Say "no" to that which doesn't take you where you want to go.
And get that walk with Jesus back on track. Say "no" to sin. Say "no" to everything that takes your eyes off Jesus. Make Him your priority, because years from now, all that other junk in your life won't matter anyway. It's your choice...the joy of the Lord, or STALE CORN CHIPS!
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Jerry Baysinger was a twenty-one-and-a-half-year civilian employee of Missouri State Highway Patrol and operator of his own successful furniture repair business, when in 1993, he was diagnosed with five melanomas and liver cancer. Given a month to live, he resigned from the Patrol and went home to die. 
