1 Corinthians 2:10-13
The Spirit, not
content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and
brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re
thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that
he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it.
God
offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is
giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We
didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it
from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re
passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
Regretfully,
I have been unable to find a hand-written copy of my mother’s signature
Chicken Pie recipe. Mother served this dish at virtually every family
dinner…particularly in the last few years. I know it took her a couple
of days to create, because she would boil a chicken one day, debone it
the next, then skim the broth and add peas and carrots and seasonings to
make the filling. Then she topped this with homemade biscuits. Just
last fall, I told her, “I do not have a copy of your Chicken Pie
recipe.” She replied, “Well, I’ll have to see what I can do about
that!” Things deteriorated quickly, and she never got this done.
One
of Mother’s lifelong friends has graciously shared HER recipe, which is
similar, but not quite the same. One of my “other mothers” and I have
discussed the dish and tried to figure out how to improvise and come
close to the original. In the end, I will probably have to do some
“trial and error” runs and hope that my mother speaks to me from heaven
and guides my efforts.
The beautiful thing about our relationship
with God is that we don’t have to guess and wonder. There is no such
thing as “trial and error.” As we read in this passage, all we have to
do is stay attuned to the word and will of God…to communicate with the
Holy Spirit and genuinely seek His guidance…and He will give it to us.
The more you learn to focus on Jesus and listen for His Holy Spirit, the
easier it becomes to know that you know that you know that He is
guiding you. And just like when we recreate an unwritten recipe, we
can demonstrate to others how to operate in this confidence in Jesus and
the Holy Spirit, also.
I used to ask my Mam-ma Polly for
recipes, and she would say, “Sugar, I just need to show you.” Because I
knew I would not necessarily remember all that she told me, I did coax
her to write down a lot of the recipes that she demonstrated to me. And
we do have a written “back-up” of Jesus’ commands and teachings to
share with others in the Holy Bible. But God wants us to live in such a
way that we physically illustrate to others what it means to operate
fully in His will…to listen for Jesus speaking through His Holy
Spirit…and to confidently act on His wishes.
I’ll do my best to
reconstruct the chicken pie, because when we eat it, my family and I
will remember my mother and how much love she poured into it. And I
will do my best to operate in the will of Jesus as He speaks to me via
the Holy Spirit, so that I can share His love for us with those in my
circle of influence. If we all do this, imagine what we could
accomplish for God’s Kingdom! What do you say…are you with me?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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