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Crusty Facts About Coca-Cola

As refreshing as an ice-cold Coca-Cola can be at the end of the day, it's not all good. Check out these weird, but true facts about the world's favorite soft drink.

• In many states, the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.

• You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke, and the steak will be gone in two days.

• To clean a toilet: Pour a can a Coke into the toilet bowl. Let the “real thing” sit for one hour, then flush clean.

• The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china.

• To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.

• To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.

• To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes.

• To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan. Wrap the ham in aluminum foil and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy.

• To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes. Add detergent and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosed the grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

• The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It's pH is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about four days.

• To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate), the commercial truck must use the “hazardous material” place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.

• The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for more than 20 years.

Though Coca-Cola looks good on the outside, the facts tell us there are some extremely strong ingredients on the inside. Used in moderation, it's not harmful to most people. But used in the above situations or in obsessive amounts, it can be unhealthy.

As Christians, it's easy for us to look good on the outside. We learn how to appear and sound spiritually attractive. But if we're harboring negative influences on the inside, we're spiritually unhealthy.

Know It!
God wants you to be “the real thing!” Acting one way but being another is phony. Let your lifestyle reflect your inner commitment to Christ.

Read It!
Psalm 139:23-24; Psalm 141: 1-4; Proverbs 28:13; Romans 2:5-9.

Pray It!
Jesus, I definitely want to be “the real thing.” Please show me anything in my life that's not pleasing to You so I can commit that to You.

Talk About Impulsive!

In Old Testament times, there was pretty cool family tradition floating around. (Well, it was cool for the oldest son; if you were anywhere else in the birth order, it wasn't so great.) The oldest son in each family was entitled to the “birthright.” That meant, simply because he was the oldest male, he was in line for the family goods. At some point, all the family owned would become his. The farm, the animals, the house, the four- wheel-drive SUV (hey, if they'd had them back then, he could have claimed it!), everything!

But what happened if the oldest boy was a twin? Enter Esau and Jacob. Since Esau was the first-born twin, he was the one in line for the birthright. How do you think that settled with Jacob? How would you feel if you were beaten by maybe a minute or so?

So Jacob began scheming . . . and cooking. You see, Esau loved to hunt, fish and trap, while Jacob loved to clean, cook and sew. While Esau was playing Davy Crockett in the wilderness, Jacob was playing Betty Crocker in the kitchen. And one day he created a recipe for goat stew that had his bro's eyes rolling backward. Esau loved that stew! Couldn't get enough of it.

Near the end of hunting season, Esau returned home starving. Jacob had been waiting for this very moment. He pulled his famous stew out of the fridge, popped it in the microwave and sat it on the kitchen counter.

“Wow! Is that your goat stew?” Esau asked.

“Sure is, Bro. I'll bet you're hungry after that long hunting trip, huh?”

“Yeah! Where's the spoon?”

“Not so fast. I was planning eating this myself.”

“Ah, come on, Jacob! I'm starving!”

“Wanna trade me for it?”

“Sure. Anything. Just give me the stew. Hey! That's homemade bread! Yeah, anything you want.”

“I want your birthright.”

“Take it. Just give me the stew and the bread. Got any Coke to wash it down with?”

That's all it took. Esau acted on an impulse, and his decision caused a split between the brothers that's still reverberating in the Middle East today!

It's easy to act on impulse. Have you ever purchased something without thinking it through and regretted it later? Or made a rash promise you wished you could take back? If so, you know what it's like to act impulsively. It's usually always followed by regret, sorrow, bitterness or anger.

Know It!
God wants you to think things through before you act. He wants to help you with your decisions. Our choices can have long-term consequences. Don't put your needs and desires before God's plan for your life.

Read It!
Genesis 25:23-34; Genesis 27; Proverbs 5:23; Proverbs 13:18; Proverbs 23:23; Hebrews 12:11.

Pray It!
Lord, I confess that I often act impulsively. Please help me to develop the discipline You want me to have. Jesus, I don't want to act on my desires or needs outside of Your perfect plan.

God's Intensive Care Unit

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asked the paralytic. To bystanders who had seen the man lying by Bethesda's pool, it may have seemed a stupid question. But it was actually the wisest question Jesus could have asked.

Think about it: The paralytic had stayed by the pool for 38 years. If he truly wanted to get well, why didn't he recruit some friends? “Hey, guys! I need a little help,” he could have said. “I appreciate you carrying me down here, but I need you to hang around a little while longer. See, when the water is stirred, I gotta be the first one in the pool. And well . . . it's obvious I can't do that on my own.”

After 38 years, couldn't he have come up with something? Or had he become comfortable in his sickness? Maybe he'd become cozy under his cove by the pool. Perhaps he made friends with the other sick people surrounding the water's edge.

If Jesus were to make him well, things would have to change. First of all, his identity would change. He was probably known as “Paralyzed Pool Guy.” He would no longer be PPG; he'd be a new man with a new identity.

Next, his environment would change. If Jesus made PPG whole, he'd leave the pool. He would no longer hang out with the same friends at the same place. Could it be PPG really didn't want to change? It's easy to become comfortable in our sick surroundings. And it's tough to think about change-walking away from friends, giving up old habits.

“Do you want to be well?” was obviously an extremely wise question, wasn't it?

Jesus is referred to in a variety of ways throughout Scripture, and one title He's known for is “The Great Physician.” Let's picture the pool of Bethesda as God's Intensive Care Unit. He showed up ready and willing to do “surgery” on someone who desperately needed a physical touch.

God's I.C.U. isn't limited to a pool. In fact, it could be your bedroom, your car or wherever you talk with Him. The Great Physician is here, and He's ready and willing to make you whole. What kind of spiritual surgery do you need? He's asking you the same question He asked PPG: “Do you want to be well?” If so, you'll be willing to allow Him to touch you in a way that will necessitate change.

Know It!
If God makes you whole, things will have to change. Are you willing to let go of a relationship, a friendship, a specific environment, your identity?

Read It!
Matthew 15:29-31; Luke 17:19; John 5:1-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24.

Pray It!
Lord, I do want to be whole. I'm willing to make the changes necessary for You to do in my life all You desire.

Get Up!

Even though PPG made excuses, Jesus saw right through them. He knew deep inside the man wanted to be well. Perhaps fear kept him at the pool for 38 years. Or maybe he was intimidated by others who were more ill than he. Whatever the reason for his excuses, Jesus broke through the barrier.

Note the first thing Christ instructed PPG to do: “Get up!” We might think since PPG had just given an excuse instead of answering Christ's direct question, he might give another excuse: “I can't 'get up.' I'm paralyzed! Why do you think I'm lying here by the pool?”

But he didn't. Perhaps since Jesus had penetrated the man's thinking, he decided not to respond with another excuse. He simply obeyed. No arguments. No questions. No resistance. He just did as Jesus said. He got up.

Jesus asked PPG to do the impossible. It's crazy to think a man who's been paralyzed for 38 years could get up and walk. Yes, crazy in human terms. But The Great Physician holds all power and is definitely in the miracle business. With God, all things are possible!

There will be times when Jesus will ask you to do what seems to be impossible. How will you respond? Excuses or obedience?

Jeremiah was only a teenager when God called him to speak His Holy Word. Jeremiah's response was, “I can't do that! I'm too young!” But God reminded Jeremiah that He would put His very words in Jeremiah's mouth. All Jeremiah needed to do was simply obey.

God will never ask you to do something without equipping you with everything you need to complete the task. If He says, “Get up!” know that He'll provide the strength needed to do so.

When PPG heard the command, “Get up!” he knew right away it would mean action on his part. If you want to be whole, God requires action on your part, as well. Are you willing to put forth the action and do whatever God asks of you to become whole?

Know It!
Instead of questioning God's ways, He wants you to respond in obedient faith. What's impossible for man, is always possible for The Great Physician.

Read It!
Jeremiah 1:5-10; John 5:1-18; John 14:12-14.

Pray It!
Jesus, I wonder how much more You could do in my life and through my life if I'd simply obey You instead of question You. Strengthen my faith, Lord. I want to obey You in every area of my life.

Identify Your Bags

“Do you want to be well?” Jesus asked PPG.

Instead of answering the question, the “paralyzed pool guy” simply gave an excuse. But Jesus saw right through it and instructed the man to get up.

Jesus then told him to pick up his bedroll. “Grab your bag. Get your stuff. Identify your luggage.”

When you check your bag at the airport, you label it so you'll be able to quickly identify it when your flight has landed. You've been there, haven't you-waiting by the carousel at baggage claim-carefully watching for your bag. When your luggage glides through, you reach out and claim it.

“This is my baggage. It has my name on it. I'm identifying it as mine.”

Jesus was asking the paralyzed man to identify his baggage. No more excuses. Stop blaming others. Just go ahead and admit, “This is mine.”

Jesus wants you to do the same: Identify your baggage. Go ahead. Admit it. “This is my eating disorder. I'm naming it.”

“This is my problem with lust. I'm identifying it.”

“This is my battle with alcohol. I admit it.”

“This is my addiction to porn. My name is on this baggage.”

Whatever your baggage consists of, stop blaming others and admit it's yours. “The sexual abuse. I'm not going to blame him any more. I need to deal with it.”

“The cutting. I've always said it's because of the hurt she caused. But I'm through blaming. I accept this baggage as my problem. I want to deal with it.”

After you've identified your baggage, give it to The Great Physician. He died for your baggage. Why hold on to it?

The next thing Jesus told PPG to do was to walk. “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5: cool .

The days of lying around the pool are over. God is here to make you whole. So get up! Yes, that requires faith in Him to do the impossible.

Pick up your mat. First you'll have to identify it. “Yes, this is my baggage.” Then you'll need to get rid of it. You don't need it any longer. Give it up. “Here, Jesus. I place this in Your hands.”

And walk. Get on with your life. Allow God to take your past, your illness, your failure and make something beautiful out of it.

Know It!
It's scary to identify our baggage, isn't it? But you're not alone. The Great Physician stands with you. He's ready to take the luggage that's been crippling you.

Read It!
Isaiah 49:13; Isaiah 57:18-19; John 5:1-18.

Pray It!
Dear Lord, as of today, I will no longer place the blame for the hurt in my life on other people. Yes, at times I've been a victim. But I'm tired of wallowing in the pain. I identify my baggage, and I give it to You. Please make me whole.

Devotional Reading for:
2/17/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
1 Timothy 2:1-7
Psalm 132

Forty-four or Forever

There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5

Tomorrow is Presidents’ Day, in honor of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, the first and sixteenth presidents of the United States, who were great statesmen. The forty-fourth president will be elected later this year, and as I write this long before February, no one has any idea who the candidates will be. Yet the election will affect lives both in the United States and abroad.
Clearly, the president of the United States wields immense power and influence in the world. You may like him or her, or not; either way, remember the Lord’s main reason for rulers: to keep peace so that we might safely live and make His salvation known. Truly, we give thanks for the great freedom to sing our Lord’s praises in our nation and to work toward getting His Word to the uttermost parts of the earth. Remember, too, as the Lord has bidden us, we pray for our rulers, whether we like them or not.
Even more, we give thanks that Jesus remains the mediator who has redeemed us from sin by His blood. The next president will be gone in four or eight years, but the Lord has no term limits. He remains your Savior for eternity.

O Lord, grant wisdom and integrity to our rulers, and grant us always Your grace. Amen.

Devotional Reading for:
2/19/2008

Associated Scripture Readings:
Genesis 12:1-8
Psalm 85

Things Unseen

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Genesis 12:3

The Lord told Abram to leave his home in Ur, promising to give him the land of Canaan. It’s quite remarkable that Abram obeyed and made the move to a place he’d never seen. He did so only by God-given faith in the promise.
Yet there’s something even more remarkable. Once Abram arrived in Canaan, the land was his because God said so. But the Canaanites didn’t know it and didn’t believe it. They respected Abram, but they did not see him as their ruler. Thus Abram lived by faith in God’s promise that the land was his, even though all appearances said he was the alien. Furthermore, Abram believed the promise that one of his descendants would be a blessing to all nations.
You’re a child of God and an heir of the kingdom of heaven. You’ve got God’s Word on it. But appearances say otherwise. After all, since we are sons and daughters of the King, shouldn’t our lives have a few less
hassles? But God’s promise remains, despite what you see. Remember that you’re only a stranger here; heaven is your eternal home (Hebrews 11:13). Why? Because that one descendant of Abram, Jesus, blesses you with forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Help us, Lord, to walk by faith, not sight. Amen.