How fun it is to have been a part of a movie that has launched a new catch phrase into American pop culture.  Towards the end of the film "There Will Be Blood," shady preacher Eli Sunday approaches oil tycoon Daniel Plainview (an Oscar winning performance by Daniel Day-Lewis) to offer some undeveloped oil land in exchange for money for his floundering ministry.  The proposed land is surrounded by Plainview's oil fields that have made Day-Lewis millions.  Eli unwittingly thinks it has untapped potential.  Plainview reveals otherwise.  "That land has been had.  Nothing you can do about it.  It's gone.  It's had.  You lose."  Eli fails to comprehend what Plainview has told him.  "If you would just take this lease, Daniel....."  Plainview revels in the pointed revelation.  "Drainage!  Drainage!  Eli, you boy.  Drained dry.  I'm so sorry.  Here....if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake.  And I have a straw.  And my straw reaches acccrrrooosssss the room, and starts to drink your milkshake.  I.....DRINK.....YOUR.....MILKSHAKE!!!!  I drink it up!"

     The milkshake phrase has caught on and nowadays can be seen on t-shirts and heard on fields and courts of competition.  It's an "in-your-face" declaration of braggadocio along the same lines as "I've got your number" or "Who's your daddy?"  It's an expression the apostle Paul could easily have used in Galatians 5:7 when he wrote, "You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"  To paraphrase - "You were growing well in the Christian walk, but not now.  Who's drinking your milkshake?  Who's draining you dry and causing you to clamp down on your compassion?  Who are you blaming because your spiritual life is not all it ought to be?  Who are you focusing your gaze upon rather than Jesus?"

     Who's drinking your milkshake?  We all have individuals in our lives who we permit to rob us of our joy.  We all have detractors who will occasionally toss dynamite into our spiritual reservoirs in hopes that it will dry up our rivers of living water.  We all face self-appointed kingdom monitors who write us up with their little Pharisee tickets because our freedom in Christ is a threat to their comfortable man-made religion.  And if we're not on our guard, before we know it, these individuals and others like them will have drained us dry and diverted our attention from our kingdom purpose.  We will get so caught up in our milkshake war that we will cease to share our milkshake with those who have never tasted God's soul-quenching, merciful richness for themselves.

     I hope you are running a good race.  I hope you are passing out straws to allow others to taste and see that the Lord is good!  I trust you are trusting in the One who offers free milkshake refills on an hourly basis!  I trust you are not worrying about "who's drinking your milkshake?" as much as you are rejoicing in answer to the question, "Who gave you your milkshake?"