My faith like a Cuisinart

I love my life.  I learn something new everyday about how my Heavenly Father blesses me and loves me unconditionally.  I hope I never tire of learning.  The thing about my faith these days is that the more I pay attention those things lovely I find out something new I never knew before.  A new way of implementing my gifts or a new area of my life that needs honing and sharpening in order to work better for His kingdom.

Kind of like a new kitchen tool.  When I first get it, its usually just for one sole purpose, like making smoother guacamole.  I know how it goes together.  I know how to turn it on.  I know how to clean it.  Then it hides away in the cabinet until I absolutely need it.  Then I dig it out of the back of the cabinet and dust it off and put it to use in a new way for a new recipe.  Yummy!  Learning new ways to apply my faith is kind of like that for me.  When I don't know how it can be used effectively it sits in the depths of me waiting to be dusted off and put to good use in a new way.

Then while cleaning out my cookbooks, I come across the user manual for my Cuisinart.  Upon reading the different sections of the book I realize I have short changed my wonderful tool and hadn't been using it to its full potential!!  The bible lays it out for us.  We must read it and stay dedicated to the focus that it brings to our lives each and every day.  In reading and understanding its meanings in each season of our lives opens up opportunities for us to realize the full potential of our faith walk with Christ.  We find new parts that interchange with other parts that create new recipes in our lives to share with others.  The pulse button becomes our favorite preparation tool.  Keeping us on all the time, wears down the motor.  And well, off, just means nothing gets done.  Keeping our fingers above the pulse button keeps us at the ready to go at any time we're needed.

Then, as always, we finally realize that we must disassemble and take a look at all our parts of ourselves and give our spirits a good cleaning and tuning for the next time.  For we must always understand that our faith never leaves us from the time we believe and have the relationship with Christ, but we do forget about all the tools we are provided with when we continue to hide out in the back of the cabinet.

Keep your finger on the faith "pulse" button.  Be at the ready.  Be prepared to make something wonderful with the blessings of your life.  God has equipped you to use ALL the tools in your box.  Read the user manual, daily.  See where it takes you.  God bless your life recipe!

Romans 8: 5-11

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.