FORWARD
Every house has a kitchen, we all need food. When
you are not going to be home, you can take some with you, i.e.
a brown bag, lunch box, or even an ice chest. Every man needs food,
however, man does not live by bread alone. Deut.
8:3. We
must feed our souls as well. My point in this book is not
to argue the fact that we all have a mind, body, and spirit. I
pick up where that one leaves off.
The body must
be nourished and exercised. The mind benefits from healthy
food, education, and exercise. Have you ever heard the phrase, “sharpen
the saw?” So it is with the spirit, your soul. Heb.
4:12 For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double
edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow,
it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Many
people out there are like the walking dead, spiritually dead, that is, or starving. Perhaps
they are physically strong, maybe even intellectually genius, and busy night
and day, but they have no spiritual “life” in them. Psychologist
offices across the nation are filled with individuals seeking to understand,
communicate, and find some sort of meaning and/or order in their lives. Go
figure! Rom. 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the
goal of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose. God,
in his infinite, eternal wisdom, will give us purpose and meaning.
Just like
with food or education, we do not get filled all at once. It happens
one bit or bite at a time. We do not remain full, rather we burn it off
as energy, fueling our lives and imparting into the lives of others, just ask
any mother or teacher!
What I offer
in this book is a pantry of encouraging words, some directly from and some
directing to the Bible, God’s cupboard so to speak. His words bring
me life.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, and
the life.” My
goal is to help the reader fill his or her soul, to keep it full,
and ultimately teach others how they can do the same. Ps.
73:28 But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made
the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Are you
hungry? Welcome to my kitchen…
INTRODUCTION
I am otherwise known as “Produce Gal.” I bring
in the choicest of organic fruits and vegetables offering the
community nourishment at its best! Some folks do not know
what to do with these lovely jewels of the fields when they get
them home so I write recipes and produce entertaining cooking
shows to guide them on their culinary path. I have also
done personal training to help people get going on exercise programs.
One day
it occurred to me that I ought to share my spiritual journal. These notes
I accumulate, hoping to leave a legacy of wisdom, memories, tears, prayers,
testimonies, encouragement, and even laughter for anyone who dares to read
them! I share stories of lessons I have learned while navigating, sometimes
muddling or backsliding, but always emerging at least one step stronger through
my experiences, or “character-building opportunities” as I like
to call them!
These morsels,
or Nutrition for Your Soul, I offer to nourish, sustain you, or even
offer as a little snack to feed your spirit any time of day. I prefer
mornings to feed my soul. They say breakfast is the most important meal
of the day to jump-start the body. I challenge you, dear reader, to jump start
your soul every day. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, sit down, and enjoy
your breakfast!
May you
be blessed, encouraged, entertained, nourished, and filled.
Becky
AKA Produce Gal
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KITCHEN NUTRITION FOR THE SOUL - CHARACTER
BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
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Scripture references:
Romans 5:2b-5 And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of
God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings,
because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint
us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building.
Who
likes to suffer? Not me, man! Rejoice in it? Ugh! God
uses suffering, however, as a means to produce perseverance and
character. It is written that we are to assume the character
of Christ. He certainly suffered, but God was with him. Likewise, God
has poured out his love into our hearts. God’s
love in us will give us the ability to love through the suffering
experience. He knows we cannot do it on our own accord. I
once heard Greg Laurie say in a sermon that when Satan came knocking
on his door, he answered, “Hey God! Can you get that?” This
exemplifies letting God and His love, help us respond to adversity.
It takes
time and help to acquire this discipline. For we are God’s fellow
workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. God also
promises to complete the work he began in us. Remember this is a process,
He’s not through with you yet, and you are His building project, His
creation. We can choose to continue building our character by focusing
on a positive outcome rather than on our suffering. That’s a tall
order, eh? I want to be tall, not small, to grow in my faith and spirit.
It usually requires fellowship with other Christians to grow. In Phil.
1:6, Paul begins his letter by describing how he always prays with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel. It is crucial to pair
up by having a prayer/accountability partner. We cannot simply depend
on others to pray for us all the time or be a “lone ranger”. Wherever
two or more gather together, prayer is answered.
One day
I had a revelation that I could view my “situations” and “issues” as “opportunities,” character
building opportunities. Rather than saying to myself, “Spit happens!” or “This
stinks (wah!)” I can choose to say, “Oh! This would be a
character building opportunity”, considering the situation as a
crossroads, a test, and a chance to learn a lesson. Then, perhaps,
move on to the next level like in grade school and video games.
Did you
ever seem to be stuck in a rut? Often times, that’s when God is
trying to communicate, “Hello? Remember me?” It helps
to ask God, “Give me a clue! What are you trying to tell me? What
do you want me to do?” Of course, at this point, one must stop
and listen for an answer. It can take time and effort, most things worthwhile
do. Keep seeking Him until you get that clue, pray about it, and make
sure it lines up with His Word. Then kick off the cement shoes that are
holding you down, put on your “PF Flyers”, and spring into action! We
can choose to build character for God’s glory by walking in love, and
walking in his way when in the throes of a storm.
Oh, you
don’t have to get it right all the time. God is patient. He
is in the business of forgiveness and second chances. Once again, that
word, “likewise” comes to mind. As He forgives,
so must we, bringing us back to opportunities. Let’s see what the
bible says about opportunities…
Gal. 6:10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Col. 4:5-6 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the
most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace,
seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Well that’s crystal clear to me. It does not say to
bury your head in the sand, whine, curse (“pepper”)
the situation, make excuses, or run away. Looks like we should
be good to believers and outsiders, make the most of it, and respond
with wisdom and grace. That’s another tall order, I’m
sure glad God is there to help! I’m also thankful for
all the tools like church, fellowship, and Bible study. I
could never come up with this on my own. My mission here
is to show you what I’ve learned so far through my adversity
and study, for what it’s worth!
Now let’s
go back to Paul’s prayer in Phil. 1:9-11 he says, “And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and
depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be
pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with
the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and
praise of God.” Personally, I’d rather be filled
than empty. Filled with love, wisdom, insight, and good stuff, not bitter,
confused, and bleck! (Is that a word, you know what I mean, don’t you?) So,
I challenge you to go to the filling station daily. Consider what is
filling you, where filling station is, and go to God for the
good stuff. Don’t wait until the gauge reads empty because you
may not make it! Someone will have to stop what they’re doing and
tow or carry you along (then again, that’s another story) fill up! Maybe
consider carrying an extra can of gas to help someone else, now I'm thinking
of my AAA card. Sort of like the insurance of salvation. Thoughts
like this make my road a little easier and more meaningful to travel. Time
to move on. |
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The alarm clock sounded this morning, I awoke startled. Bleary-eyed, I
rolled over to turn it off, with my first thought of the day, “Huh,
isn’t it Sunday?”
Rewind a couple of hours… the dog woke me up to go out and I noticed
the alarm
was not set so I flipped the switch then went back to bed. When the alarm
startled
me awake, I thought maybe it was Sunday, hence the 5:30am regimen had not
been
activated. To tell you the truth, I’ve done it the other way, on
a weekend at 5:30
the buzzer went off… and so did a rather annoyed husband!
In cheerful anticipation I still thought, “Oh yeah, it’s Sunday!” As
my brain
began to download I remembered going to church the day before. Ok, mystery
solved. Then I thought how cool it would be if every day were Sunday. Get
up,
praise God, go to church, praise God, fellowship, get some rest, hang with
the
family. It must be like that in Heaven! Can it be like that here? I wonder
if you
are a pastor, is every day like Sunday? I mean, it’s their job to
do these things, eh?
How cool is that?
Well how cool would it be if we did that, too, as we go about our day?
Maybe that would be Heaven on earth. Wake up with God in mind. Dress your
best, even if it is work clothes, just make an effort… it may pay
off! Eph. 5:19
says speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing
and
make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father
for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I did not read anything
in
there about only on Sunday! Seems to me, this is like “whistle while
you work” vs.
grumbling and complaining. Do you ever catch yourself grumbling? I do.
Ever
had to put up with co-workers, friends, or family members grumbling and
arguing?
Hmmm… Let’s look at Phil. 2:13-14 for it is God who works
in you to will and
to act according to His good purpose. Do everything without complaining
or
arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God. I think
this is beginning to sound more like a Sunday.
Ephesians 5:21 says, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Sounds like cooperation here. Wouldn’t that make life easier? If
everyone, or at
least more folks, cooperated with each other? Now look at chapter six in
v.7 Serve
wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know
that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he
is
slave or free. That should make any job easier, doing it as unto the Lord
in His
service, not just “because” or for the paycheck. Years ago,
my friend Donna
shared that when she was upset with her husband, she would imagine she
was
serving Jesus, not the husband! This helped her keep a good attitude in
times of
adversity. I’ve referred to that scenario often over the years… probably
not often
enough!
What about when times get really tough? In Phil. 1, Paul answers this in
verse 18,
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers
and
the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will
turn
out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way
be
ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always (and not
just
on Sunday) Christ will be exalted in my body. Now those are some powerful
words! I don’t know about you, but when I am having a bad day, words
like
eager, expect, hope, and courage don’t usually spring forth! But
they need to! I
need to!
With courage, (and with God) we can eagerly expect a favorable outcome
in
which God will be glorified as we emerge stronger and victoriously through
a
difficult day or situation. This attitude rings power vs. helplessness.
We can help
others see life like this as well. Oh, it’s sounding like Sunday
again.
So maybe we don’t have to wait for Sunday. Maybe we don’t all
have to be
pastors to serve and encourage others. Maybe our pastors would have a lighter
load! For sure our loads would be lighter as we carry each other and let
God help
us along the way.
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