TRUST IN THE RECIPE
By Tammy Hopson
Mitchell County
The house is filled with the smell of freshly baked bread. It’s the baking night at my house. I am baking both for my family and for my friends who have ordered loaves from me. I have done this for two years now and each time I do I am excited and happy to be making something from nothing. But I am a very slow baker. I always worry about the outcome. I weigh all of my ingredients in precise measurements so as not to make an error. I stick to the recipe and do not take for granted my bread will turn out ok. I know that each ingredient has a purpose, a task, and something it has to accomplish within the bread.
When my dough is finally mixed and kneaded and I am absolutely covered in flour, I hold my breath until I see it rise. If something goes wrong it will remain stagnant and dead. Even though I know I followed the recipe exactly, I still wonder if it is going to double as it should. When it does I am absolutely thrilled! Then I shape each loaf only to hold my breath while it rises again. Finally, it is ready to bake and I go through the same turmoil all over again, watching closely through the glass door as it bakes. I started to feel more confident that the recipe worked when I pulled my loaves out and placed them on the racks to cool.
After a few hours, the final product is ready to package. Every single time I look out over my long row of freshly baked loaves and wonder if they are ok. As I package each one I hope in my heart that this one turned out ok. I know I followed the steps, and I saw the dough rise and respond, the smell of freshly baked bread still lingers in my home but still, I waiver. I wish I could taste each one before I deliver it so I know for sure it turned out good. But I cannot do that. I have to tell myself as I worry “I have tasted it before, and I know it is good.” After I have given my loaves to someone who has ordered I long so much to ask them later, “Was it good? Did it turn out ok?“ I know what my problem is. I need to trust in the recipe.
God has a recipe too. Just one perfect recipe. The plan of salvation has clear instructions if we are to obtain heaven. But the steps are easy. As a matter of fact, there are only two.:
As shown in Romans 10:9 the steps are simple:
Step 1. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, (and) …”
Step 2. “(Thou) shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
But where are the ingredients? There is only one and it has been provided for you already. It is the shed blood of our Savoir Jesus Christ. And once we follow the above steps by confessing and believing He will pour His blood over us in complete forgiveness without measure.
Once applied it is permanent and everlasting. There is no questioning afterward if it worked. Those of you who bake know that things can go wrong in the process. if you skew anything you can alter texture and taste and possibly ruin the outcome. But God’s recipe is perfect, it is error-proof and it works every single time. I will never, ever, have to question this recipe. I only have to put my complete trust in it as I live. Once followed, I will be absolutely covered by His blood and my salvation will be a sweet-smelling savor that travels to the heavens. Angels will even rejoice over it!
As a cook, I read tons and tons of recipes. Some of them are award-winning creations where the cook has obtained honor and favor, and their name has been published throughout the cooking community. But God’s recipe is the only one where the Author gives all favor and reward to those who follow it. The outcome of His plan makes us His sons and daughters and puts our name in the Book of Life never to be removed again. Now that is a good recipe!
Have you followed the steps in Romans 10:9? Have you been covered by His perfect blood and become a child of God? If you haven’t I bid you to follow God’s plan of salvation now and receive His forgiveness and love. If you have already confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior and believe in your heart He has been raised from the dead, then I encourage you today not to worry but to trust in the recipe.
Tammy
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Tammy Hopson has been a Mitchell County resident since 1992 and lives in Red Hill with her family. She is a mother of six children and grandmother of 14. She has been a member of Hoyle Memorial Christian Fellowship in Lawndale, NC since 1992 and helps lead The HMCF Youth Group.
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