Company's coming! Get ready!

Last night we had dinner at some friends' home.  We were served a wonderfully rich, creamy dish that we love!  We don't even want to know what goes into it!  I'm sure the fat grams would make my head reel!  But I love it all the same!  It's what's known in the South as "Company Food."  Company food is the stuff that is so good and rich that you can't eat it every day...therefore, it is reserved for those special moments when company comes!

As children, we looked forward to having guests in our home.  It meant Mama's best would be on the table.  And it meant dessert would make an appearance! Never once did our mother say, "Company's coming so we need to mess the house up a bit and put something nasty out to eat."  Quite the opposite.  We always gave our best. These days, I keep a few "special" items in the pantry for "occasions."  I don't always know in advance what occasions there may be, but I am sure to have something there....just in case company drops in.

Luke 6:45 says, "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."  I am in a constant state of inspection in my own life, making sure that there are only good things that will surface. I would hate to be around friends and only give out the refuse of my heart in our conversations.  I want to be able to give them the rich goodness that is there.  Just like our company, I want to be able to feed people something good.  The only way to do that is to stock my pantry with the best ingredients available: the Word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

"Company's coming!  Clean up the house! Set the table!" [her Mama said.] If it's all done well, then once they get here, all we have to do is entertain!  It's pretty easy, really.

Favorite "go to" appetizer: Very nice whole grain crackers, a block of cream cheese and a good hot pepper jelly.  This is such a Southern staple.  Just put the cream cheese on a small plate and pour the jelly over it.  Serve with the crackers.  It's so easy yet so very delicious!

**[Interpretation for the menfolk, as requested by Marty K.: Get the "good stuff" in your heart so you can give the "good stuff" out to others. - hope this helps]