A few weeks ago I had purchased cream cheese to make cream cheese won-tons. Due to travel, and lack of inspiration, I never made the won-tons. Thus, I had cream cheese sitting in my refrigerator that I needed to use. I knew I needed to make something with it, either savory or sweet, or it would spoil.
I eventually decided to make something sweet, chocolate fudge.
Today I made two batches, one milk chocolate with marshmallows and one semi-sweet chocolate.
Now, I had been praying, not all that hard, but still asking God what to write about for this Sunday’s musing. Sometimes I just draw a blank. I had songs go through my head and I had my word for the year pop into my mind, tolerance. But nothing seemed to really stand out, or maybe I just was too busy to listen.
Anyway, as I am making the fudge God said (OK, not out loud, but I am pretty sure it was His idea), “I can use you, like this cream cheese, if you let me, and mold you into something amazing or you can choose to not to let me use you and you can sit and let your spirit dry up (spoil).”
Now, in all honesty, I didn’t stop in my tracks. I kept making the fudge, but my mind went, “Oh, yeah! God can make anything from us, but we have to let Him do it.” Think of the story in the Bible about how He is the potter and we are the clay.
He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. ~ Jeremiah 18:6
He can take us and mold us, not one of us like any other, just like I made variations of fudge with a
block of the same type of cream cheese.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8
We can be savory or sweet. Our personalities and skills are so different from each other, and yet, God makes us all amazing. We all have different gifts but are one in spirit, molded from the earth and given skills for His purpose.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ~ 1 Corinthians 12:4
But, we have to let Him do it. Otherwise, we will sit and spoil, maybe not in the world’s eyes but in His.
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ~ Galatians 6:8
We want to be pleasing to Him not stinky. Just like if we let cream cheese sit too long in the fridge and it gets stinky and disgusting over time, so we are to God if don’t let Him mold us and create something amazing out of us.
Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. ~ Romans 8:8
Whether savory or sweet, when we use the gifts God gave us we are making Him happy. He can mold us into anything He wants us to be. We just have to listen and obey.
We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. ~Romans 12:6-8
Like a piece of fudge, or a won-ton filled with cream cheese (and maybe chives), both being delicious, so can we be pleasing to God.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. ~ Romans 14:17-18
