Baking Lessons...

Today I made my father a dessert he could eat without feeling guilty. I didn't have a particular recipe on hand, but I have made it several times before with great results. It was brazed apples and pears in fruit juice with cinnamon. Most people would add a ton of sugar and butter to make the glaze thick and gooey... However, Da is diabetic and trying to loose weight. Adding the butter and sugar would make the desert taste great, but it would also increase his blood sugar and sabotage his weight loss plans. Instead of sugar, I used his favorite fruit juice instead (I know, shocking that Da would drink anything other than orange juice... and its strawberry and banana flavored no less!). The results were fork licking good. Even Mom loved it, and she thinks my concoctions in the kitchen are crazy!

Mom does have a point though... Most of the time when we bake without instructions the results are generally inedible. Even chefs who are brilliant with food, have to have something to guide them when combining flavors and textures. The plan, or recipe, is essential.

This is also true with Christians. The Plan of Salvation is essential to our walk with God. We can try to walk with out it, and some may actually do very well at first, but eventually we all end up in deep trouble because we didn't follow the Master's Plan. No matter what label you apply to yourself spiritually, or what church's pew you occupy, you are responsible for following the plan if you want to enter the Kingdom of God.

Its not a suggestion, as some would say. We are charged with reading the Plan and following it even when we don't necessarily think it applies to our situation. When we skip through the plan, we skip the lessons and blessings that God has in store for us. If we skip too much, then we may end up in a very unwanted ending, forever separated from God.

Popularity of late has been seen deleting parts of the Plan, much to the detriment of Christianity everywhere. Baptism, obedience, clean-living... They have all been thrown into the garbage heap by the threat of being unpopular with everyone else around us. But Christianity has never been about being popular, or even about how many people befriend you on facebook. Christianity is about finding God, accepting that He is in control, accepting His gift for humanity, and creating a relationship with Him. Popular Christianity, when compared to the Plan of Salvation, doesn't hold up well. Its better to be unpopular if it means losing eternal life.

So, as you walk your path with Christ, remember to bring along the Plan so that you don't loose your way. And if you do get off track, those who have the Plan will find it much easier to set their feet on the Solid Rock once more by reading the pages and following the recipe for life.

God Bless.