Spiritual Pumpkin Pie

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.

Scripture Cake

I use to have a cake recipe that listed the ingredients in terms of Bible references. The recipe might have listed “2 of Job 39:14” instead of asking for 2 eggs, with the entire recipe written like this. While it was fun to look up the verses to determine what the ingredients were, we threw away the recipe as well as the cake.

I always thought it would be fun to write other recipes using Scripture verses, but never really tried to do it. In the long run, it was a lot more work to make the cake than if it had been written like a regular recipe, and some of the references were vague. So what, then, would be the advantage of writing a recipe in Bible verses?

I think that if I were to write such a recipe the only purpose would be to boost my own pride. It may give me an attitude of accomplishment for something done in my own power: proof that I knew enough Scripture, or at least how to find enough Scripture, to complete such a task. But a prideful heart does not serve God’s kingdom, even if the task does use the Bible.

There have been many times when my pride has hindered my ability to be used by God, whether in an organized ministry or an everyday opportunity. I must constantly remind myself that all ministry is ineffective if I don’t first turn it over to God. He has called me to plant seeds and to water them, not to make them grow. (“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” 1 Cor. 3:6). Sometimes, He may ask me to be present at the Harvest, but when that happens, it is not my doing, but His.

Is it wrong to use Bible verses in a recipe? I do not think so. I do have another recipe that includes Bible verses in the instructions, but they are used to tell the Easter story. I have used this recipe to teach my children. This is a much better application of Scripture in a recipe.

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)