It Looks Delish...but what about the taste

The Brownie Parable :)

 

Unless you are not fond of chocolate.....I  think we all would agree that theses look pretty yummy.

Sometimes when I am at work I enjoy breaking up the long hours with a little cooking.

Yesterday was one of those days.

Before I left the house I packed up--butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, eggs, cocoa powder, m&m's and malt balls.

Really...who could go wrong with those ingredients?

 I threw all of the ingredients into a bowl and then into buttered  pie pans. I preheated the oven...put the brownies in and set the timer.

Soon the place was filled with the smell of chocolate.

While the "pies" were cooking I pulled out the cocoa and powdered sugar in order to make some icing.

I combined all the ingredients in a ziploc bag and added a little vanilla and half and half.

The timer went off and I pulled out two lovely looking pans of brownies.

While the brownies were still warm I cut a tip off the ziploc bag and drizzled the icing all over the brownies.

After a few minutes of cooling I cut into the brownies and put a slice on a plate.

It looked great...the texture looked a little more like a cake than fudgey brownie. I prefer my brownies a little more dense..but it was chocolate so I was fine with it.

And then...I took the first bite....

Oh my goodness!

It was disgusting!

I took another bite just to make sure......yes, still disgusting.

I work with another lady and told her what I thought...I told her she could check it if she wanted to...maybe I was just being an overly critical cook.

Nope....we both agreed...not edible.

Why?!

All of the ingredients added belonged  in a brownie recipe.

Were did I go wrong?

Unlike some of the dishes I just throw together that come out great....to get a great pan of brownies you need to follow a great recipe.

Throwing ingredients together did not work for me. The texture was mealy and it tasted like cocoa powder. 

 

Ever taste straight cocoa power? 

Not nice is it?

I could go on and on...but here is the bottom line.

Many times in my walk with God I figured that if I threw all the right ingredients together..out would pop the perfect little Christian.

My recipe looked like this---

Time in prayer

Time in the word

Keep a journal of all the neat verses I come across during reading time 

In church every time the door was open

Take notes during the service

Do a Bible study

=

One great Christian woman.

 Nope.

On the outside I must have looked pretty good....

the inside was not looking the same.

And those who got close enough noticed the outside was not what was filling the inside.

Why?

I was doing all the right things.

That's right....I was doing it.

Just like those brownies...there was nothing wrong with the ingredients added...but the proportions are very important.

A knowledge filled head does not guarantee a wisdom filled heart.

Each time God shares a bit of knowledge with us...we must then go through a training time.

We become an apprentice.... one who is learning by practical experience under skilled workers a trade, art, or calling

If this does not take place....if that new word is not given time to sink into the marrow of our bones...we are in danger of becoming puffed up with knowledge.

If this is the case....when people get close enough to taste of our lives....I am afraid the flavor is not going to draw them back for more. Or worse yet...they begin to wonder why they should follow the same God.

We have become the "brownie" that looks delish....but the real us "tastes" horrible. 

Today I am taking time to savor the Word. You could say I am making sure I chew quite a bit before I swallow. I want to receive all He wants to give me. And then I am going to pray that that word becomes a part of me. That just like food is energy for the body....His word would become the only fuel that fuels all activity in my life.

Dear God let me consume only the word for today. Give me this day my daily bread. Let me know when I have gotten a word that needs to be slowly savored.

Make it nourishment for my whole being.

Let that nourishment bring health where death has ruled. Let it clean my heart, my soul and my body.

May the meditations of my heart and mind be pleasing to You. 

Savor the Word!

:)