Livin Lively

By Peggy Lively 

            Getting creative with dinnertime can be challenging, especially during baseball season. During this season, a lot of our dinners end up being either a drive thru or a crock pot meal. So in an effort to limit the drive thru, I looked up some new recipes for my crock pot.

            After finding one that I thought all of my children would like, I bought the ingredients and went to work. I started cutting up and throwing all the ingredients in the crock pot, not really in any particular order: rice, chicken, butter, onion…etc. I assumed that was all I needed to do, just put everything in the crock pot and then let it cook for 5 or 6 hours. So after I put all the ingredients in, I decided to read the directions.

            I found out that the melted butter was supposed to go in first before everything else and coat the rice. The diced chicken was supposed to have already been cooked before putting it in the crock pot. And the green onion wasn’t even supposed to go in the crock pot. It was only for on top of the dish once it was finished cooking. So I tried to fish out most of the green onion, and then convinced myself that everything else would be ok.

            Well, it wasn’t ok. Nobody in my family liked the meal, and then I was frustrated with them for not eating it. I was upset that I had wasted my time, money and food.

            If I am honest though, had I read the directions, it might have been ok. I had all the right ingredients, but I was mistaken in what I thought I was supposed to do with them.

            Sometimes we can do this in our spiritual lives as well. We know all the main ingredients: Jesus loves me, He died for my sins, and if I ask Him for forgiveness and accept Him as my Savior, I am saved and will go to Heaven. These are the main ingredients of our faith, and they are essential for our Salvation. However, if we understand and believe these things, sometimes we might assume this is all we need to know. So we take these main ingredients and just try to live our lives the way we think we are supposed to. We don’t stop and take time to read the directions (God’s Word) for more specific instructions on how to live.

            David says in Psalm 119, “Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight.” (verse 35) And again he says, “Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.” (verse 133) God can’t direct us according to His Word if we don’t read it. He doesn’t want us just assuming how to live a life that pleases Him and brings us joy. He says, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” (Isaiah 48:17) We need to read His Word daily and follow His instructions, so He can lead us in the life that is best for us.

            Don’t rush through your day without reading His directions, or it may turn out like my dinner.

 ”Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”    (Psalm 25:4-5)