All The Ingredients
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
When I am about to do any baking these days, I assemble every ingredient on the counter before I begin. There have been too many times when something has been overlooked (or I’ve used too much or too little) and my impressive recipe has totally flopped. What an embarrassment! Karen Sargent (Mornings with Jesus) shares her recipe with us.
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Flipping through my recipe box, I recognized Mom’s handwriting and pulled out the yellow, tattered index card for her perfect cheesecake. Instead of imagining her decadent dessert, I recalled a time when Mom’s cheesecake wasn’t so perfect.
Our family gathered around the table. Dessert had been served, but an awkward silence lingered. Mom was the last to help herself to a piece and take a bite. All eyes were on her. Finally, realization dawned on her face. “I forgot to add the sugar.” Sighs of relief followed because no one wanted to insult the chef.
Mom’s cheesecake has a gazillion ingredients, but omitting just one turned her dessert into a disaster. She could have forgotten the eggs or the cream cheese or milk, and the result would have been unsavory. All of the ingredients were necessary to produce her perfect cheesecake.
Like Mom, the Bible has a pretty good recipe with a list of vital ingredients. If I want to be more like Jesus, I need love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. I don’t get to pick and choose ingredients, Love, joy, and peace come naturally to me. But patience—more specifically, my attitude while I’m trying to be patient—is a work in progress. And self-control? Not around the clearance rack at my favorite department store. Or cheesecake. Omitting one fruit of the Spirit bruises all the others.
Unlike Mom’s cheesecake, I will never be perfect on earth. But I can try to be more like Jesus by perfecting my own fruit of the Spirit salad.
FAITH STEP: Read Galatians 5:22-23 and list the fruits that challenge you. Choose one to perfect today.
Loving Lord, thank You for giving us all the ingredients needed to live a pleasing lifestyle. Help us use them wisely and grow to be more like You. AMEN.