According to the researchers at the Bathroom Reader Institution.  The delicacy knowns as lobster has an interesting story.  The following is from Uncle John’s Endlessly Engrossing Bathroom Reader, (Bathroom Readers’ Press:Ashland, OR) 2009.

“Lobster may taste like shellfish (crab, shrimp), but it looks like an insect.  And technically, it’s an arthropod – more closely related to spiders than to anything from the sea.  Lobsters are abundant off the coast of New England, and from the colonial era until the 19th Century, they were treated like insects; fisherman considered them pests that took up room in the nets meant for more desirable fish.  But fisherman caught them in large quantities and were reluctant to throw them back, especially since they were edible and could be sold (cheaply) for other uses.  Those uses: ground up and used as high-protein plant fertilizer or as food for slaves, indentured servants, and prisoners.  In fact, during the American Revolution, some British prisoners revolted over being served lobster too often.  When the railroads made mass transport of goods possible in the late 1800s, East Coast fisheries realized that they could ship lobster west . . . where nobody knew it wasn’t an expensive delicacy.  In other words, they decided they could make a buck by calling lobster a delicacy.  They did, and it worked.” (Uncle John, p. 427)

I share that story because it reminds me of the way the prince of this world – a.k.a. satan – works.  He convinces people that what he has to offer is great.  He sells them on the idea of the supposed blessing of his offer.  When we listen to him and buy into what he is selling, we ultimately are paying a high price for a pesky ocean spider.  Paul would remind us to keep our focus on the things from above and to regard the accolades and pleasures of this world as rubbish meant for the trash pile (cf. Phil 3:8)

What have you bought from the world that is not worth the price?

– Scott