Cookbooks are good. Cookbooks are helpful.

But the goal is to enjoy a pumpkin pie, and other delicious foods.

The goal is not merely to think about the ingredients of a pumpkin pie. But to bake the ingredients into a delicious pumpkin pie that embodies the ingredients. To bake the ingredients in a Way we can experience them—a Way we can see, hear and understand them. (Isaiah 6:8-10).

Similarly, it is good to think about the ingredients of a good life: compassion; graciousness; slowness to anger; abundant love and faithfulness; love for multitudes of people; forgiveness for wickedness, rebellion and sin; and reduction as much as feasible of the bad results of bad choices. (Exodus 34:6-7).

It is good to think about the delicious scents that will come from such a “pumpkin pie”: scents of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

But the goal is not merely to think about the ingredients and the scents of a pumpkin pie. The goal is to eat the pumpkin pie.

Similarly, it is good to think things about Jesus. It is helpful to know things about Jesus.

Nevertheless, we should not merely think about Jesus. We need to enjoy Jesus!

How?

By being best friends with Jesus—and with other people—by doing what Jesus commands (John 15:9-17).

We must eat and drink Jesus Christ—the Messiah who embodies the Presence of the LORD and the Spirit of the LORD. (John 6:53-58).

That bears repeating.

Many people talk and teach about the Presence of the LORD and the Spirit of the LORD. But Jesus is the only person who ever embodied the Presence of the LORD. Jesus is the only person who ever embodied the Spirit of the LORD.

For Jesus did far more than talk and teach about the Presence and the Spirit of the LORD. He embodied the Presence of the Lord and the Spirit of the LORD!

 For example, Jesus fed five thousand people, starting with “five small barley loaves and two small fish” (John 6:8-13).

The next day, the crowd came back, craving physical food.

“Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”(John 6:35).

Jesus explained that he was offering them the spiritual food and drink they needed, not the physical food and drink they craved. (Numbers 11:4,31-34).

Jesus said:

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats  my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.” (John 6:54-56).

Jesus was not urging them to be cannibals!

Jesus was urging them—and us—to be his disciples (John 6:66-69).

Jesus was urging them—and us—to be his friends (John 15:9-17).

Jesus was urging them—and us—to be friends of God in the Way of Abraham (James 2:21-23).

Jesus was urging them—and us—to be friends of the LORD in the Way of Moses (Exodus 33:11).

In my books, I use word pictures from the life of Jesus to “teach us more about who Jesus is, what God is like, and how we should live than volumes of theological speculations or hundreds of pages of my writings”. (Lighting the World, at pages 181-182).

In this blog, reading “volumes of theological speculations or hundreds of pages of my writings” is equivalent to reading many “cookbooks”.

Instead of merely reading, it’s far more important to live the Way of Jesus (actually to bake a pumpkin pie embodying the Way of Jesus).

How?

By becoming best friends who bless children, welcome sinners, weep together, wash each other’s feet, and laugh together. (Hoping in the LORD, at pages 177-182,199-202,209-213,239-249, and Lighting the World, at pages 179,181-182).

In the words of the Apostle Paul, we need not merely to think about Jesus. We need to put our thoughts into actions, expressing our faith in love (Galatians 5:6).

In the words of James—the brother of Jesus—we need not merely to think that there is one God and to pray that hungry people will be fed. We must put into action our belief in the One-Compassionate-God by feeding hungry people! (Matthew 25:31-46; James 2:14-19).

We must eat the “pumpkin pie”!

We must “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8)!

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Have you ever used a cookbook? How? Why?

Have you ever baked a pumpkin pie? How? Why?

What are the differences between using a cookbook, baking a pumpkin pie, and eating a pumpkin pie? Which do you enjoy the most?

What are the differences between learning about Jesus, thinking about Jesus, and being a friend of Jesus. Which do you enjoy the most?

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For related thoughts, please read my blogs “Jesus Embodies Hesed—The Vision of Isaiah”, “Jesus Embodies Hesed—Fulfilling the Law of Moses and the Prophets”, “Jesus Embodies Hesed—Sowing the Ideals of the Law of Moses and the Prophets”, and “Jesus Embodies Hesed—Saving Lost Sheep, Lost Coins, and Lost Sons”.