“A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That”   Devotional #13

 

            I love to cook.  I love to season the food and stick with the type of seasoning that goes with that dish.  For example, if I’m cooking an Italian dish like, Chicken Parmesan, my favorite, then I’ll use only Italian seasonings.  If I’m cooking Puerto Rican food, like corned beef with white rice, my husband’s favorite, then I’ll use only Puerto Rican seasonings.  If I were to always use the same seasonings then everything I’d cook would taste about the same and then where’s the fun in that?  The variety of seasonings and herbs keep it interesting for me.  I don’t like bland food.  I find that the blander the food the more boring it is.  I also don’t like to cook the same foods over and over again.  Eating the same thing over and over gets monotonous. 

You see, for me, food is like an art.  I love to learn new recipes.  I love the Food Network.  I love food.  Food is an expression of my love for my family.  I love it when my family enjoys what they are eating and can’t wait until the next time I cook their favorite dish.  Since my food is an expression of my love for them I cook with love.  The same can be said about how we express ourselves during our personal one on one time with the Lord.  If our praise and worship are always the same then it is like the bland food or the same food over and over that is boring and tasteless or monotonous. 

            During Isaiah’s time the people worshiped the Lord as part of their religious routine.  In Isaiah 29:13 it says, “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.  Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”  Due to neglect there was no love or devotion just hypocrisy towards God. 

            In Mathew chapter 6 Jesus gave an awesome “recipe” for prayer.  Right before he gave the sample prayer he said in verse 5-6, “…when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.  Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  There is time for prayer with others, like in church, prayer groups, Bible studies.  Then there’s the private prayer, the one that’s between just you and God.  That’s the one that the Lord said should be done in a room with the door closed. 

            When its time for that prayer time what “spices,” if you will, do you use?  Do you always say about the same type of prayer?  Is it short but sweet?  Is it long and very detailed?  Is there praise time with music or do you sing a cappella style, do you sing at all, ever?  No two prayers should ever be alike.  That is when the prayer becomes routine and over time lifeless and dull.  Jesus went on to say in Mathew 5:7, “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” 

            You may be thinking, “If the Father already knows what I need before I even ask Him, then why pray at all?”  Think of it this way.  It is like a child that needs a new pair of shoes because the pair/s they usually wear are starting to get tight on the toes.  The parent/s may already know that it is time for new shoes but is waiting for the child to ask them for the pair they would like to have, what style, color, that kind of thing.  This is part of the love relationship between a child and their parent/s.  It is the same with our Father.  Yes, He already knows what we need before we ask for it but He would like for us to give Him the details of what we would like and while we’re asking just have a wonderful conversation with Him.  And, yes, “sprinkled with some seasonings,” of affectionate words, praise, worship and love. 

My dear friend, thank you for taking the time to visit my blog and read this devotional.  You are constantly in my prayers.    

*If you would like to read this same devotional in Spanish or know of someone that would please visit my Spanish blog at www.ministerioreflejandolaverdad.blogspot.com