Good Morning
Stand with me and lift your bible and repeat after me.
This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I can do what it says I can do.
I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.
Today I will learn more of the word of God.
The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus Name
Amen?
What is your recipe?
I have told this story several times before.
If you ever watched “The Three Stooges” which was an old comedy series on TV featuring three silly brothers. When you watched it you probably realized how silly it was.
What I found out over the years was that each show had a real message and one particular show I will always remember.
The three brothers posed as chefs to get a job at a rich man’s home, and they had to cook a meal for that man and his guests. It was a turkey dinner and if you know about turkey dinners, there has to be stuffing put in the turkey as part of the meal. Curly was the one who was elected to stuff the turkey and he had a recipe.
The recipe said get a bowl, which he did.
The first part was two eggs separated. He picked up two eggs and put one in each hand and then reached as far as he could to separate his hands from each other, then dropped them in the bowl.
The next part of the recipe was to add a can of peas which he then put in the bowl unopened.
The recipe then said to get a loaf of bread and put it in the bowl, mashing it with the peas and eggs, so he beat it up with both hands and then put it in the bowl.
He was then to get a pinch of salt. He poured salt in the palm of his hand and pinched some between his fingers and then dumped the rest in the bowl.
It then said put a cup of water in the mixture and stir. He got a teacup and filled it with water and poured the water and the cup in the bowl and stirred.
He then stuffed everything that was in the bowl into the turkey.
We are not like Curly but sometimes we don’t follow the recipe that God gives us for life.
Amen?
Are we loving ourselves and others or are we so busy with life that we are missing out on a few important parts?
Are we thankful?
We need to try and be different. Devoting our time to our walk here on earth to following what the Lord really wants us to do.
Our calling from the Lord is to be simple but following with a true understanding of what His recipe for us is.
To show His love.
I read this quite a while ago and do not know who wrote it but it is about following Christ in all that we do. It is about using two of the gifts He has given us to do so.
It reads:
Strength + Love
The strength of a man or woman isn't seen in the width of their shoulders.
It's seen in the width of the arms that circle you.
The strength of a man or woman isn't in the deep tone of their voice.
It's in the gentle words He whispers through them.
The strength of a man or woman isn't how many friends they have on Facebook.
It's how good a buddy and friend they are with their kids.
The strength of a woman or man isn't in how respected they are at work.
It's in how respected they are at home.
The strength of a person isn't in the clothes they wear or the car they drive. It's in Jesus’s Heart ... that lies within their chest.
The strength of a person isn't how many they have loved.
It's in how they can be true to one who loves them back.
The strength of a woman or man isn't in the achievements they have accomplished.
It's in the burdens they can carry in day to day life.
Turn with me to Matthew 5:14 and say, “Amen” when you are there.
“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Adrian Rodgers was a man that was called by the Lord to share the Word and pastor a large church. I met him a long time ago at a pastor’s conference in Florida and he shared a message about light. It was a great message and actually has helped me over the years to maintain my attitude in life.
It shared about light and how it overpowers anything. He mentioned that light is a powerful thing.
The Lord our God when He created the world said, “Let there be light and there became light.”
Adrian pointed out that even in the darkest moments, even if it seems extremely far away, when light appears it overpowers the darkness.
I was on a mission trip in a part of Africa years ago and I stayed in a hut to try and get some rest and when the sun went down it was dark. But as I laid there in that hut with no windows and a door that had a bottom that was in the dirt, and I thought, "this is dark".
As I laid there, I saw something in the top corner. It was a small little dot of light and as I looked at it, I realized how much the light was covering the inside of the hut as it came through the pinhole. It was a comfort, just like in the message that Adrian had shared, the light always shines through.
God is the light and controls the light.
He just gives us choices in our lives to seek the light from Him or not.
Are you thankful for the Light He is providing in your life?
When I first had a Bible to read, I opened it and started in Genesis.
Genesis chapter 1, verse 3, “God said, let there be light and there was light,”
If you read the rest of Genesis chapter 1 you see how important that was.
It was not after the firmament which God called heaven,
It was before.
It was not after land.
It was right with its measure of importance.
In Genesis 1:6 He created two more lights and separated them into daylight and moonlight also with the stars.
Just like He created you and I.
He did so for the opportunity to live life with you and I every day.
Remember we were created in His image which makes things pretty interesting to look forward to when we leave here on this earth and get to be with Him.
I had surgery to remove a brain tumor almost 20 years ago. When I woke from surgery, I could not see. I panicked and thought I had lost the ability to see. The surgeon is a brother in the Lord and he told me not to worry, it would be temporary.
I doubted and worried most of the evening and called out to the Lord to intervene.
I thought, here I am having surgery to remove a brain tumor and now I could not see. I imagined the toll it would take on my family.
He was right. I was wrong.
The very next day I woke up after a horrible night by the sound of curtains opening and then seeing the bright light from the morning sun shining in.
As we go through our lives, we have good days and bad ones and realize that the light may get dark at times, but it will always be there with us in our daily lives.
We need to be thankful for what we have and what we can do serving Him.
What I have learned over the years is that when life seems to get dark it probably is time for me to concentrate more on my relationship with God.
We all tend to get so busy in life with our day to day that we forget about what goes with our relationship with the Great I Am. The light of Him.
It gets so busy in our daily life that when we work on our recipe for life, we do things so fast without praying or thinking. We throw the can of peas right in the mix without opening up the can.
Do you know what is in the can that God gives us? Light.
Not just to see.
But to see the true recipe for life.
Sharing and enjoying God’s love in all we do.
The beauty of the world He created even when we are having a tough time.
Singing songs of praise and spending time in prayer.
Being a light in the dark world we are living in today, tomorrow, and for as long as we are alive here on His earth.
What is the recipe for enjoying and sharing God’s love in our lives and in the lives of those we are loving and praying for?
It is a very simple recipe.
One part, you.
One part, light.
One part, God.
One part, Jesus.
One part which is, the Holy Spirit
And the best part, Thanksgiving for all of it.
It is a great recipe for the life we have here on earth.
Be the light in the dark world we are living in by letting each of the parts of this recipe for life be with you with every breath you take.
Be a light in this dark world and remember to be thankful for everything.
Most of all, be thankful for knowing the Lord our God through His son, Jesus Christ and allow Him to continually provide the light you need when you need it.
Be Thankful always. Amen?
