Follow The Recipe

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ne evening, I invited a couple over for dinner.  It is so much fun now that I have a kitchen where I can cook and bake and make my own mess!  Being domestic is great and I am enjoying it very much!  At any rate, I was wondering what to prepare.  I have very few cookbooks and the recipes that I use frequently I have memorized.  So, naturally, when I needed an idea for something new I went to the best resource I know for recipes, mom!

I called her up and told her what I was planning to prepare. I wanted to know if she could send me a few recipes via email (I just love technology) and she happily agreed.  In just a few minutes, the recipes I asked for were sitting in my mailbox, ready for the making.  I perused the list of ingredients and re-familiarized myself with the procedures.  My first reaction with one of the recipes was one of doubt.  It appeared as if there were too much of a particular ingredient and not enough of another.  But that is what the recipe called for and mom always said, follow the recipe!

I made my list, went to the grocery store, bought all the required items, then came back home to begin assembling my meal.  I put all the groceries away, leaving out all the ingredients I would need to make my salad, my main dish, and my dessert.  I got the recipes from the computer and began making the meal ahead of time so it would be less stressful when it came time to set the table and entertain my guests.

I followed the recipes exactly.  Mixing where it said to mix, stirring where it said to stir, and cooking when it said to cook. I added the ingredients in the exact proportions the recipe called for.  Even when I felt that the measurements might not be quite right, I went against what I felt and followed the instructions.  The result was amazing!  Everything turned out just as it was supposed to and all the food tasted just right.  Now, it wasn’t as good as mom’s, but things never are.  However, her recipe gave me the correct measurements and the proper instructions for making all the things I needed for my meal.  I had to trust the recipe and its author despite my feelings or questions.

Would it surprise you to discover that God has given us the exact recipe for a happy and fulfilling life?  Would you be shocked to know that if you follow His recipe, you will find your life becomes a wonderful blessing to others and a source of praise and glory to God?  To the Christian, none of this should be new; yet, our lives and our relationships with God are not always what we want or what they should be.

In Deuteronomy 6:5, we have God’s recipe for living the kind of life he wants all his children to enjoy.  “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  As with all recipes, the measurements of the ingredients are all important.  Too little of this or not enough of that leaves the dish incomplete and unsatisfying.  God’s ingredients are heart, soul, and strength.  But pay careful attention to their measurements. God does not ask for a pinch of heart or a dash of soul.  No!  He asks for all of it.  Essentially God says to us, “Empty the cupboard.  I want and require everything you’ve got.  Hold nothing back!  Do not skimp on the ingredients!”

When asked to give the greatest commandment, Jesus, himself, quoted this very scripture.  God’s recipe always calls for us to give our all.  Even when we don’t feel like it, even when we think that all our heart is too risky, even when we think all our strength is too much, and even when we think that all our soul is just too high a price.  Despite all these “feelings” of ours, God’s command rings clear:  “Follow the recipe!” 

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ow long has it been since you spent time with God in your kitchen?  How long has it been since you asked Him to give you his recipe for living a life pleasing to him?  You have the ingredients but are you measuring them out correctly? Are you following the recipe?