I really just want to take the time today to give praise to God for His word and how it manifests in our lives. As you read I pray that you can relate by reminiscing on times where the word of God saved you or created a new in feeling with you.

** My definition of a successful life is a life pleasing to Christ that leads to eternity thus the basis of this read.

So one Sunday as I walking to my car the first lady of my church looked at the book in my hand and asked me was it a recipe book. It was a thick cute book that has flowers on the outside it. I replied laughingly that it was actually my bible. Followed by mentioning “I guess it is something like one huh”. And truly it is.

Recipe- a set of instructions to making something from various ingredients; something that is likely to lead to a particular outcome.

In Genesis we begin to see how God created everything from absolutely nothing. He said……and it was so. We see this verbal command of creation throughout, really the entire bible but especially for now, we see this throughout the first chapter of Genesis. We see this masterpiece that God created from scratch just by the power of His word. Gods word is limitless and cannot be confined to just one definition. But if I can say what Gods word is right now, Gods word is creation among many things.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 51:10

The word of God created true love.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.

John 3:16

 It creates in us a cleanliness if we abide.

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I remain in you.

Matthew 15:3-4

It creates in us a path to righteousness by doing what is right by way of the Lords commands.

The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

1 John 3:7

That’s just to name a few things. This book is the recipe to wholeness and completion in Christ. His word stirs up inside of us forming us into the saints of God that we may have the outcome of eternity in heaven. This book is not just another book. This book has all of life’s most needed list of ingredients. It cannot be duplicated or imitated. It cannot be substituted, for the ingredients are one of a kind. The most important recipe for people today is the recipe to salvation. Thank you, Lord, for the ingredients to salvation!!

How many of you have started out to make something, a particular dish, and found that somewhere along the way that the outcome was not what you set out for it to be. We had missed a step or added some ingredient that did not fit the desired taste or outcome. Lets be real for a second. Sometimes, our recipe to life sucks. The character and personality that we create for ourselves are often built up from defense, greed, competitiveness, and anger. We also build by the goals we desire to achieve and build walls to keep others out. Sometimes, along the way, we find ourselves in a mess.  Those characteristics, those are flaws that we have self-imposed into Gods creation. God has to tear down and then create a new you from scratch. These things can take over the overall flavor of our intended purpose, defying the very persons that He created us to be.

This has been me and Im sure many others!? But when I have felt like I made a wrong turn or picked up some character flaws that were not beneficial for my walk in Christ, I have been able to pick up the word of God and by that word be cleaned and made over. When we have lost or become out of touch with our savior (savor), Gods word adds the needed flavor for desired outcome. Oh, where would we be without the recipe of life in Christ!

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Matthew 5:13

The thing that keeps sticking with me is the repetition of ‘And God said’. The word of God is like a full cooking show for us. It tells us what we need to add as well as to how it is to be added. It informs us of what could happen if we miss steps. It tells us how to fix something if it does not come out the way that it should. It even tells us specifically where we can find the ingredients that we need to use.

God said in His word that His thoughts are not our thoughts, His ways are not our ways (Matthew 55:8). We can do all of the self-building, we can create all of these self-made agendas for success, only to miss the mark in the end. Only God can create us to be successful in Christ. I just want to encourage you to take the word sincerely. It is our recipe to success in Christ. Follow the recipe!! The word will complete you.

Unless the Lord builds the house

the builders labor in vain

Psalm 127:1

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your word today. Help us to use it for our guide to success in you and to ensure our eternity in heaven. Let us always remember that when we lose our way, your word is there to bring us back to our purpose. Your word is from everlasting to everlasting and for that we praise you. Write your word, Lord, across our heart that we may not sin against you. Our recipe to life that we will follow!! We love you and will forever give you the honor the glory and the praise. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!