“Here’s Your Menu”  Devotional #18

            I love going to restaurants with my husband Daniel.  I love the one-on-one time with him.  I love the break from not having to cook.  I love when the hostess says as they hand me the menu, “Here’s your menu.”  To get to pick and choose what appetizer, entrée, beverage and sometimes desert, is always fun.  When the food arrives it smells good, looks good and we both have a good time eating it.  Good food with good company and good conversation is always a blessing.

            Since I love to cook I always wonder how the dishes we order are prepared.  What seasonings were used, did the cook get to create this?  Makes me wonder, with as much thought and time it takes to prepare a meal how must it have been for the Lord as He created you, me, all of us?  Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (NIV)  The word, workmanship, means work of art or a masterpiece.  We are His masterpiece which is why when He first created humans He said (Genesis 1:31) that “it was very good.” 

            Psalms 139:13-16 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” 

I know that many cooks/chefs in these restaurants love to play with different flavors and cooking methods.  It takes time to develop a wonderfully tasting dish.  As the Lord was creating us into great masterpieces there was a lot of thought into how we were made.  Like what color we were given for our hair, eyes, and skin.  How tall we would be.  What our core personalities would be. 

The Lord didn’t just stop with how He created us.  He is always involved in our everyday.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  (NIV) 1 Timothy 6:17b says, “...hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”  (NIV)

Anyone who loves to cook knows that there are times that things don’t go exactly how you’d like.  There can be an ingredient missing or you didn’t realize there wouldn’t be enough for everyone.  But, any good cook would do what?  Wing it or go to your favorite cookbook to the rescue.  You make something else.  You use another ingredient that can substitute the one that’s missing.  Maybe even suggest a night out at a restaurant.  It’s the same with the ups and downs with life.  Instead of working on our own, trying to figure things out, He left us His Word to be of comfort, our guide. 

We know that we live in an imperfect world and we have to manage through all of the imperfections of life on a day-to-day.  In His Word He said, not to worry.  Mathew 6:31-32 says, “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (MSG)  But the Lord, the great craftsman, didn’t stop at just providing us His Word.  He knew His masterpiece would need a Helper and so He has also given his Holy Spirit.  In John 16:13b-14 it says, “…when the Friend comes, the Spirit of the Truth, he will take you by the hand and guide you into all the truth there is.” (MSG)

How awesome is God!  He created us.  He gave us His Word.  He gave us His Spirit.  Life with God, a great read (His Word) with a great helper (His Spirit) is always a blessing.

 

 

My dear friends thanks for visiting my blog and reading this devotional.  I appreciate  you and am constantly praying for you.  I’d love to read your comments on this devotional.  I’d also love for you to pass this blog site on to your friends and family.  Word of mouth is always so helpful.  God bless you and yours.

*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