Let the Heat Shape You
Last night I tried to make a batch of chocolate
chip cookies while teaching a little Bible lesson at our church. It was the
start of our 5th annual Christmas Cookies series, which you have
already heard about. The objective was to bring out four points in baking that
apply as well to living the life of a Christ follower:
Follow the Recipe * Use all of the
ingredients
Mix thoroughly * Let the heat “shape” you
We were supposed to do this Sunday but were
iced out by a winter storm so we just waited to do it in our Wednesday service.
As I was using ALL of the ingredients and placing them in the bowl, I ran into
a problem: the brown sugar had solidified and was as hard as a rock. I could
not do a thing with it! It was right then that I realized the terror of
improvisation and the power of Jesus at the same timeJ Eventually
we got some useable brown sugar and continued with the illustration. We got through it all but it got really "hot" up there in front of the church!
Sometimes our life is well planned and we do
a great job of organizing and getting ourselves prepared. But you can never
know everything that could happen. This “brick” of sugar in my illustrated
sermon could represent a hardhearted person or someone that is extremely difficult
in your church or office. It may be hard for you to see any way to get them “mixed
thoroughly” into the pack and valuable to the final product you are attempting
to create. What do you do? You pray and trust the Lord and eventually, God will
soften their heart by filling your heart with love and compassion. In the end
things just have a way of coming together. If its not coming together, it’s not
the end.
So just stay faithful and consistent and know
that God has recipe He is making
with your life. He wants to use ALL of you, and surround you with many other
people(ingredients). Romans 8:28 tells us that He takes all of us and mixes us
together to create something good, something lovely, something tasty, just like
my chocolate chip cookie. Let the "heat" shape you into that person with the mind of Christ, fearfully and wonderfully made today!
** Get your own "signed" copy of Joe's newest book Christmas Cookies: Edible Treats for Your Body and Soul. This book features 12 delicious cookie recipes and 12 of his favorite scripture teachings which you can use in your devotions or small group study. Call 918-321-2300 and get it before Christmas!
