Good Thursday morning!
Christianity and Chocolate Chip Cookies
"When making a batch of chocolate chip cookies it is of course essential that the baker sample to make sure the batch has been mixed and baked properly. As conditions change from tray to tray, it is also essential to sample each tray after it cools just a bit. Before packing the cookies in the jar or other container, the conscientious baker must make sure that nothing has happened during the cooling process and another sample is required." Excerpt from The Fat Baker's Guide to Cookies.
I should do a search to make sure that isn't a real book title, but you cannot copyright a title anyway. Yesterday I thought that the Christian life should be more like baking chocolate chip cookies. We should sample from the tray of patience, and then again from the tray of kindness, and perhaps one more delicious sample from the tray of love. In fact, we may want to keep on baking delicious cookies until we have sampled a goodly amount from every tray that bears the Spirit's touch. On the other hand, our baking should be more like the Christian life in that we share more than we consume. If we take one patience cookie from the dozen, we have eleven left to share. The same goes for each batch of the fruit of the Spirit. As we partake of the fruit of lovingkindness, we share more than we need for ourselves. As the Spirit grows self-control in us, we can share some too.
Sharing of what we have is one of the great privileges of the Christian life. We are certainly encouraged to share our stuff, but material goods tend to wear out and fall apart. We have a higher privilege in sharing the fruit the Spirit grows in us. Loading up a trailer full of stuff we don't need and donating it is okay, but taking what the Spirit has given us is easier and more lasting. Giving away our money may be honorable, but giving away our love, our knowledge of the Lord, our passion for the Word, and our grace found at the foot of the cross can be an offering that honors God. As we share the fruit of the Spirit, God pours much more into us. The branch that shares its fruit is blessed with more fruit from the vine. Not one of us little branches can out give the Creator and True Vine. The fruit of the Spirit that we receive from the Vine is sort of like a batch of chocolate chip cookies that just keeps on a comin' from the oven.
Have a sweet day in Christ our Savior!
Bucky
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