When I was a child, my favorite Easter candy was Peeps. I would get so excited when Spring arrived and those sugar-drenched, pastel marshmallows found their way onto the shelves of local stores. This childhood fascination may explain why I was so intrigued to read a recent article in the April issue of Food Network Magazine. While it’s not breaking news that there are 2 billion Peeps sold each year, I was quite surprised to see that 30 percent of those sold are never eaten. Instead, they serve as home decorations, art supplies, microwave experiments and collector’s items. As I read on, I found that some have created prom dresses, covered cars, and spelled out marriage proposals. Who knew that so much could be done with simple sugar and marshmallows?

The article proceeded to highlight a gentleman by the name of David Ottogalli who enjoys a direct line with the Just Born company that produces the treat. He’s afforded the great privilege of receiving mass quantities while in the midst of one of his projects. The company even looks to him when they need art made from the snack. After reading the article, it was obvious that many people seem more interested in playing with their Peeps than eating them.

As I pondered this I began to think about the parallel between Peep artists and those who make up the Bride of Christ. It seems that Christianity has transformed itself from a personal encounter with God to a testimony service void of Heaven’s power. Let me explain…each Sunday morning believers stroll into sanctuaries all across this great nation and join in worship services comprised of prayers, songs, benedictions and countless expressions of peace, joy, life, love, forgiveness, hope, restoration and abundant living. But do we actually possess these attributes in our hearts?

You know exactly what I’m referring to. We’ve all witnessed the lady at the end of the pew who sings “Victory In Jesus” with her lips but exudes complete defeat with her face. We’ve heard the loudest amens, supporting a message on forgiveness, come from the most bitter, judgmental person in the room. It just doesn’t add up. This is the primary complaint from those living outside what we’ve come to call Christian circles. When they look into our churches they see a spiritual resolve to follow hard after God but as the congregation files out they witness a group of people committed to everything but Christ. They hear our messages of hope and joy but there are more Christians suffering from hopelessness and depression than ever before. Something is wrong.

It’s a sad commentary but needed nonetheless. We’ve become content with playing church and professing a power rather than having the experience we seek to place on our pedestal and it’s had an effect. Tommy Tenney says that the church has promised fresh bread from heaven while only able to provide stale crumbs from the floor. If we expect to make a difference in this world for Christ we must have an encounter with Him ourselves. This is a non-negotiable principle of God’s Kingdom. Of course, this will require sacrifice on our part. We must rededicate ourselves to prayer, studying God’s Word, fasting and seeking His face through worship. Every believer has a choice to make. We will either return to our first love and see the hand of God move in our lives and our outreach to others or we can continue to offer empty religion without the relationship that we already know provides everything that we’re promising.

Can we really blame those who would rather play with their food than actually receive the benefit from eating it? Not that there’s much nutritional value in a Peep, but the principle remains that we are more like those who build destructible projects with sugar that dissolves and marshmallows that melt than we realize. There’s a better foundation to build on and His name is Christ. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good.” It’s time to put all of our “tools” away and just get back to tasting instead of trying to build the kingdom with flashy gimmicks. You won’t believe how sweet that can be!