I just started reading Tabitha Brown’s cookbook, Cooking From the Spirit. In this inspirational book, none of the recipes have to be followed as written; she gives a list of ingredients, but the final result? Well, honey, as Tab would say, “That’s your business!” As I thought about this week of Advent, I wondered about a recipe for peace. How would it start? What would it include? And how do I make it make sense?
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 NIV
A Recipe for Peace: To Keep Our Hearts From Being Troubled or Afraid
Ingredients:
• one heart, fully surrendered to Christ
• Faith, a mustard seed worth will do
•Prayer, blended with gratitude and praise
•Forgiveness for self and others
•Scripture, meditated upon daily
•Love, the unconditional kind
•Quiet Time, to be still and know
Instructions:
1. Begin with a fully surrendered heart; only by His hands can a heart be made whole.
2. Slowly add in the remaining ingredients and blend to desired consistency.
3. Allow the mixture to sit and rest in a place of quiet, letting God’s peace settle in.
4. Once Christ’s peace thoroughly infuses the heart, it’s ready to serve.
Serving Suggestions:
•Serve daily, especially during this holiday season.
•Pair with moments of worship.
•Share generously, as peace is most abundant when it is shared.
Cook’s Notes:
The more we spend time with Christ, the more His peace will flow through us, transforming our hearts and the world around us. And as our hearts are transformed, we can treasure peace as a gift, not as something we earned, but as something we receive by abiding in Him.
I realize that this is not a typical post from me. But, honestly, this is what God put on my heart. This recipe may change over the course of the week. Or over the years ahead. But, for today, this is what is working for me.
*For those of you who prayer walk, ponder what you would add or take out of this recipe for peace.