When my husband first went to Thanksgiving Dinner with my family, he was looking forward to the pumpkin pie. After a few bites, he looked at me and said, “This is not your pumpkin pie.” He had assumed that my recipe was a family tradition passed down from generation to generation. Instead, the recipe I used was one that I had altered to my own taste.
The first time I made a pumpkin pie, I used the recipe on the can of pumpkin. It turned out okay, but it tasted bland. Then next several pies I made were progressively better, changing to fresh pumpkin rather than canned. Each time I would alter some part of the recipe, usually the spices, until the pie tasted just the way I liked it. I may be biased, but I still have not found a pumpkin pie recipe I like better.
It is not uncommon for cooks to change a recipe, especially when they need to substitute for a missing ingredient. Sometimes we do it by mistake. One year I was making divinity at my in-law’s house and instead of grabbing the vanilla, I put in vinegar. I know it sounds awful, but it actually turned out. Even though they still tease me about it, my brother-in-law told me a few years later that it was some of the best divinity he had ever tasted.
Many of the recipe alterations and recipes that I have tried to create turn out to be total failures. Breakfast sausage is not a good choice in stir fry, and almond butter does not make a good substitution in peanut butter cookies. Especially in baking, a substituted ingredient may alter the chemistry of the finished product.
This warning also applies to our spiritual life. While there are a lot of great Christian authors and theologians, there is no substitute for the Word of God. It is easy to fall under the trap of thinking that since we are reading this great book from a well-known theologian, or attending a church taught by a well-grounded, Bible-based preacher, we are safe from deception by the Enemy. This is itself, a deception.
Many of us know of people who have fallen prey to the Enemy's deception, whether cults or simply misguided teaching. I once knew a guy who had justified illegal behavior because he was “washed by the Blood and sanctified by the Stripes of Jesus.” Basically, he believed in “cheap grace;” that he could do anything he wanted because he was forgiven by Christ’s sacrifice. This man was deceived by substituting false teachings for the Truth taught in the Bible.
I ended yesterday’s blog with a Bible verse that also applies here: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."(2 Tim 3:16-17) As we read the words put to paper or computer screen by well-intended authors, we must ask ourselves if what we read is consistent with the Word of God. The only way to answer this is to read the Word of God, asking for the Holy Spirit to teach and guide us each time we open our Bibles.
The Word of God needs to remain the main course in our Spiritual diet, but Christian books, music, and other material can be great side dishes. We must never alter the recipe of God’s Word by substituting these side dishes for the real thing.
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