John 7:14-19
With the Feast already half over, Jesus showed up in the Temple, teaching. The Jews were impressed, but puzzled: "How does he know so much without being schooled?"
Jesus said, "I didn't make this up. What I teach comes from the One who sent me. Anyone who wants to do his will can test this teaching and know whether it's from God or whether I'm making it up. A person making things up tries to make himself look good. But someone trying to honor the one who sent him sticks to the facts and doesn't tamper with reality. It was Moses, wasn't it, who gave you God's Law? But none of you are living it. So why are you trying to kill me?"
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.
Friends on Facebook have been contributing to a page about recollections of our home town when we were kids. More than one has remembered Whitaker Drug Store, were we could sit at the counter and order fountain sodas and other treats. And many have remembered getting a drink there called a “suicide.” Basically, the ladies behind the counter put in a little bit of every syrup available and added carbonated water for “fizz.” I don’t remember if I ever drank a “suicide,” but I know plenty of times that I – and others – have tried to create our own culinary concoction with less than stellar results!
I will experiment a little here and there when cooking, but I’ve pretty well learned from a few mistakes in the kitchen. Now I mostly stick to the recipe and leave the tampering to someone more adventuresome! I am content to have people enjoy my cooking, and I will gladly give the credit to whatever cookbook author or good cook willing to share recipes deserves the recognition. And hopefully, people are comfortable eating what I prepare… confident that I’ve not made things up as I went along! I never went to culinary school… but I had good teachers who taught me how to navigate the kitchen and produce a tasty meal.
Now if I were to continually strike out and create dishes of my own invention, would I have the right to be mad at Julia Child, Betty Crocker, or the Southern Living cooks because my results were poor? Would it make sense to be angry at someone who shared a recipe with me if I changed the ingredients and didn’t follow the cooking directions… and the result was inedible? So why do we think we can study God’s word and receive His guidance and instruction, then “have it our way?”
Why are we persuaded by sinful friends and acquaintances who clearly are not behaving in a Christ-like manner? Why do we choose “Spiritual suicide” when we already know that the results are going to leave a bad taste in our mouth and have horrendous consequences? What right do we have to be mad at God when things don’t go the way we want?
When will we learn? When will we begin to recognize the power and authority of God Almighty? When will we see that God sent Jesus to show us how to live… how to conduct ourselves in all sorts of situations… how to resist temptation… how to love others in His name… how to spread the Gospel and model Christ-like behavior for others? When will we realize that fakes and phonies are a dime a dozen… but Jesus is the Real Deal?
Remember John 3:16 – God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, so that we could live – forever! All we have to do is believe in Him… all we have to do is acknowledge that Jesus is truly who He said He was, ever since “back in the day”… and commit our heart and soul to living for Him continually in the “now!” Jesus brought us the recipe for success, joy, and Eternal Life! Are you ready to follow Him?
©2011 Debbie Robus
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