Recipe

Happy Thanksgiving!

You know, it’s not uncommon throughout the year that you hear reports on the most “searched” thing on the Internet. Celebrity gossip, International scandal, politics, violence and such. As the holiday season approaches, I’d be interested to know how much more search engine attention is given to online recipes than at other times. Do you have a favorite recipe? Possibly something handed down from generations past?
I love the idea of recipes. The whole process of take & make: Take this stuff, do these particular things with it, and voilà, you get something wonderful.
This of course, made me think of The Scriptures and God’s plan for people. When you think about it, God also does recipes.

Recipe for Rest

Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Take His easy and light yolk, learn Him, and receive rest, peace.)

Recipe for Reward

Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. (Take heed, which is informed and intentional thought), value discretion and get Heavenly rewards.)

Recipe for Righteousness

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Take your cross, deny yourself and get Jesus)

Recipe for Reciprocity

Mark 4:24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. (Take consideration; the level of concern you show, is the measure of concern you’ll receive)

Recipe to avoid Greed

Luke 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

Maybe it’s an oversimplification, but it doesn’t totally miss the mark.
Except of course, for the secret ingredient.
We all know that most people can whip up your basic things; Salad, mashed potatoes, maybe even fried chicken. Most people can muddle through box directions and produce something edible. But then there’s those special dishes. Those dishes that make you take note and say “Wow! What’s in this!?!?” I remember a certain real-life example that involved banana pudding. The lady who made it, also made sure to hold the secret, special ingredient away from me for years before telling me in confidence that I wouldn’t divulge it. My closest friends know but it’s a good thing that God doesn’t withhold His special ingredient that way. It’s The Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, our best efforts can only produce an impressive, yet short-lived morality. God’s recipes give us good now, as well as preparing us for an eternal ‘even better’. It’s impossible to recreate His recipes without Him.

The Bible is packed full of recipes for everything that pertains to life. As I thought of this idea of "taking", I thought of one final recipe. The recipe for the meal that Christ alone is preparing.
What did He take?
He took our sin.
What did He do with it?
He paid for it, nailed it to His cross and remembers it no more and in doing so, (by the same secret ingredient, The Spirit) gave us His righteousness and even now, continues to sanctify us in it.
And what is He making? -
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

This is God's recipe for reconciliation.

In Him,
Cros