FOLLOW THE RECIPE | Frank Becker

Week Nine, 2024

My wife is a wonderful cook. My girth is proof of that. It’s been a learning process. When she cooked our first meal after returning from our honeymoon and she served beanie weinnies for dinner. She was so proud! I knew we were in for a long haul!

But she has been self-taught, with a huge gracious help from my mother. Now, and for many years, she is a fabulous cook. She doesn’t use recipes… well sometimes she does, rather she just adds as she works along as she goes, adding this and that. Often, I ask her to repeat the meal and she doesn’t remember what she did to make what she made. I told her many times that if she would write down the recipes and give each dish a flashy name, we could open a successful restaurant.

The Bible has many recipes. Try Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. It works.

God gave Joshua a plan on how to defeat Jericho. It was simple. All he had to do was follow His instructions and Jericho would be theirs.

Jericho’s walls were 11 feet high and 14 feet thick. They were virtually impregnable. For man, it was impossible and overwhelming to even consider getting in, much less destroy.

When Joshua announced the strategy that God Himself laid out, I wonder how the people responded. I wonder what ran through their minds when they heard what seemed like such a foolish plan?

“Well that’s a silly plan… There’s no way that will work, but ok…”

Joshua followed God’s unusual plan to the letter. He had faith that God was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do.

So they marched. One time around Jericho each day for 6 days. On the 7th day they marched around 7 times. Seven priests in front carrying rams horn trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant. A long trumpet blasts. A loud shout by the army.

And the walls came tumbling down.

Do you follow God’s recipes?

SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES

And all around us, still—personally, and beyond to the ends of the world, questions lie unresolved. Issues, problems, concerns, disagreements and worse, linger, fester, and seem to grow everywhere. So, now what? Uncertainty reigns. So, then, to what, and where can we look. The answer is clear and has been with us for over two-thousand years.

The Hope which came in the magnificent birth of the Babe of Bethlehem. The Son of God. The Savior of the world. Christ—there to lead us to the answers we seek, the joy and peace for our lives and for the world.

There it is. The only answer to the question—now what? When we set our hearts each day on the One who then calls each of us to also be joy to the world, and peace on the earth. When we live each moment of every day remembering the answer to whatever will be found when we embrace and follow Christ, and live out and sing the words—

“O Come let us adore Him!” Scott Whitaker

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Every day we are tempted. Every day something or some things are thrown into our face, come our way that vie for our focus… for our attention… for our lives.

How will we respond? How will we react? Do we know the voice of the Master? In the midst of those tempting moments… in the midst of the battle, do we hear His voice?

Do we respond? Do we continue to walk with the Master? Or do we chase after the temptations of the day… the focus of the moment… the demon that has come to steal and kill and destroy? What do we do when face temptation or when the demons attack?

Marty Stubblefield

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Words of wisdom from Edgar Aponte:

• Christ’s grace extends to us even when we are neither expecting nor asking for it.

• There is a cost to follow Jesus, but the cost to not follow Him is infinitely more.

• Jesus is not like a used car salesman trying to trick you to buy anything.

• Discipleship is living a life with Jesus.

• There is a cost to follow Jesus, but there is also an urgency.

• Jesus paid an incredible cost for our redemption. Be prepared to pay a cost for being His disciple.

• A call to follow Jesus is a call to count the cost and o commit to Him completely. Follow Him now.

• Conditional acceptance is a complete rejection and delayed obedience is disobedience. Follow Him today.

QUOTES YOU CAN USE

If we can completely believe some of God’s promises, why do we have difficulty believing all of God’s promises? Dan Shock

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. Ralph Waldo Emerson

We may not have the physical Jesus with us, but, as believers, we have His Spirit within us to calm us in our storms and get us through them. He has the power. Take heart. He is always with you. Don’t be beat up. Be upbeat. Rich Jensen

When going through trials, we often feel alone. We think nobody sees or understands. But God knows. Dan Shock

Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom. Thomas Jefferson

When life hands us a lemon, let’s try to make lemonade. Dale Carnegie

In love, there is no room for prejudice, hate, abuse, divisiveness, or taking advantage of others. Marty Stubblefield

You don’t have to hide. You don’t have to pretend, worry about what people will think. Everyone is dealing with something. There’s no shame in saying, “I need help. I’m struggling; I’m hurting; I’m broken.” David Jeremiah

Remember that True Worship isn’t about the What, Where, When, nor How. It’s all about The WHO And The Why! The WHO is the Lord, God Almighty Creator of Heaven and all other things. The WHY is He loved us so much He sent His Son to die on the Cross for our sins!

The only way to be all you can be is to surrender all you are to the One who created you to be all HE made you to be. Todd Gongwerca

God wants us to learn to trust in Him completely – even when we cannot see any possible solutions. Dan Shock

We often put ourselves in some pretty miserable positions because we move ahead without seeking God. Florida Marketplace Ministry

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Selected portions of Thoughts on Life can also be read at TheLife.com.

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