I absolutely LOVE salmon. There’s just something about the flaky texture that when it’s cooked just right, it simply slides apart into the perfect size pieces. That pinkish salmon color with the yellow lemon slices, fresh green dill or cilantro, some ground black pepper, and plenty of Old Bay sprinkled on it – together, create the perfect color wheel of taste.

Let’s presume I haven’t been to the grocery store and don’t have any fish at home, but I still plan on pretending to cook salmon for dinner. I could take the lemon slices, cilantro and spices, and grill or broil them together, then serve it with some jasmine rice and steamed broccoli. Without the main ingredient of the salmon, this would be silly, and you would walk away rather dissatisfied and still hungry. Sure, you might fill up on the rice and broccoli, but does that really fill the void of that highly anticipated, perfectly broiled salmon? No. No way.

When you are missing that key ingredient, in this case the salmon, then everything else is rather unfulfilling. It leaves you wanting something more, a flavor that you didn’t get to savor.

“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”
Luke 6:21

The same can be said of being a Christian. We cannot claim to be a Christian and live our life for God; we cannot earn our way into heaven; we cannot find fulfillment in life; unless we have the one ingredient of JESUS in our life. If He is not our Lord, then we are missing the best part of life, and we will be left wanting.

Now most of you already have a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus, and for that, I rejoice! But, we all have family, friends and acquaintances that do not. They are the ones we should be striving to lead to Jesus. They are the ones that are missing that main ingredient that they don’t even realize is missing.

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite, But the stomach of the wicked is in need.”
Proverbs 13:25

Advertising execs have learned that the best way to advertise their goods is through our senses. Visually, we see on TV that our lives would be vastly improved by drinking certain beverages, or our cravings would be satisfied by eating their fast foods. They know that man has a void, a need, and a deep hunger, that the world thinks can be filled by vices of alcohol, sex, food, status or money. Yes they will temporarily gratify what one desires, but for how long? In no time, man is back at needing the next fix, or the next momentary thing that won’t ever deliver that real joy that they are looking for.

The world is hungry, and they need the savor of the Savior in their life!

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.'”
John 6:35

Food for thought:
“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’…
Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.’  So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
Luke 5:4, 10-11

Fun facts: Salmon are anadromous, which means they are born in fresh water, they migrate to salt water, and then they return to freshwater to spawn.
Salmon can be three different colors over the course of their life. Juvenile sockeye salmon are light colored and spotted, and during their adult years in the ocean, they are silvery blue. When it’s time to spawn, the adult bodies turn a brilliant red and their heads turn green.

Photo by: David B. Townsend – Salmon recipe