The Parable of the Pancake: The Missing Ingredient

I used to make pancakes the old fashioned way. Everything was put together from scratch. Now, I have someone do that for me. When I get the mix out of its box now I'm missing just one key ingredient- water.

In our lives we can try to throw things together from scratch but in reality there is only one key ingredient. The Apostle Peter says there are a lot of things you can add to this ingredient but without it you have a dried up mix of stuff.

I like my pancakes plain. When I fix pancakes for Karen or Hannah I might add everything from pecans to chocolate chips but without water in the mix nothing is held together.

In the same way our spiritual life needs the key ingredient of faith. Without it nothing is held together. You can stir all you want to and nothing will come together without faith. Ask your Maker to provide you with the Living Water of faith today.

The Parable of the Pancake and the Pathway of Grace

The parable of the pancake is a perfect illustration of how God works in our lives. We begin a relationship with God when God calls us out of our box in repentance. The key ingredient of faith is added and because we believe in Jesus everything changes.

We build up our most holy faith having our lives stirred by the word and the Spirit. After that stirring thoroughly integrates faith through the dusty nature of who we are, God pours us out as a blessing to the world.

Our lives are tested by the heat of our daily experiences. Without that heat we would be too mushy and unformed to bring life to the world. How our lives turn out we entrust to God.

The breakthrough of being transformed from a mild mannered pancake to a delicious breakfast is entirely up to our Maker.

Have you learned the parable of the pancake? How and where are you being served today?

The Parable of the Pancake and Repentance

I bought some more pancake mix. It said please use by December 29, 2009 so I've got plenty of time. I can have bacon and eggs, cereal, muffins, Pop Tarts, a breakfast casserole and a host of other things before I eat pancakes again. Why? I know the expiration date for my pancake mix.

God says, "Today is the day of salvation". Why? We don't know our own expiration date. Jesus insists we repent because unforeseen events occur. Accidents happen. Hebrews 9:27 says, we are all destined to die once. But, that appointment is not something we set up.

Just like the pancake mix, we don't jump into the shopping cart. Our "future" Maker must draw us from the shelf to their cart, pay for us, and give us a place in their home. While the Maker is doing their work we must be moved. Today, if you hear God's voice, do not put it off or ignore it in anyway. Turn to go with God. Follow Jesus. Repent. Move with your Maker!

You might never know what you missed if you don't.

The Parable of the Pancake

Before anyone begins a life of service or sets out to bless someone they should learn the parable of the pancake. I love pancakes. When my weight is not a problem we have them almost every morning. When my weight is a problem I long for the pancake season to return.

I grew up eating pancakes. My Mama would fix them for us. I still follow her method when I fix them today. Mama began with flour. I begin with the pancake mix from Wal-Mart. Mama added an egg, buttermilk, and a touch of oil. I add water to the mix and a little oil to the pan. We both stir the ingredients to get a good semi-liquid batter. We both pour out the batter into the hot pan. We both watch over that soon-to-be-pancake. We wait until the heat has had its affect. Then, we turn the pancake over with the spatula. A few moments more and we decide the pancake is ready to serve. The pancake does not leave the pan of its own accord. The maker of the pancake moves the pancake.

We are like that pancake. We need to get out of our box. We need something added to our life. We need to be stirred up. We need to face the heat and wait to be turned. We need the maker to choose when we are to serve.

Where to Begin?

Have you ever gone down a unfamiliar road? Remember that first time? You slow down. You crane and strain to see a number on a house or mailbox. Until you know the way or are guided by someone who does, it's easy to be hesitant. It's easy to doubt yourself. Do I have the correct address? Have I driven too far? Have I driven far enough?

I know as I visit members of the church Mapquest and other navigational helps don't always bring me to my desired destination. When those maps were written not all the information was available.

Our spiritual life can sometimes use navigational help. Thankfully, the scriptures are a sure guide for us to follow. They have all the imbedded information we need and their directions are never out of date. Psalm 19: 7-11 describes the character of God's word this way. "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. The ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than glod, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them is great reward."

Your Daily Grace is written to get you up to speed with God. Every day I hope you will be directed and guided by its reflections of life and scripture to recognize the way God always works and find yourself Moving at the Speed of Grace!

Yours in having an unavoidable experience of Jesus,

Putting Life Together

I have a preacher friend that carves his Christmas gifts. He hollows out a piece of wood in the shape of a stable/barn and then cuts pieces of wood to represent Mary, Joseph, shepherds, wise men, sheep, a cow, a camel, and Jesus in the manger. All these shapes when fitted together fill in the stable as a puzzle.

You can dump the pieces out on a table and I can put it back together in about 30 seconds. Some of my children’s friends have puzzled over the arrangement of these pieces until frustration caused them to quit.

Am I a master puzzle maker? No. Actually I’m quite terrible at puzzles, strictly an end piece kind of guy. But, I know how these pieces were meant to fit together.

We have brought it out for almost twenty Christmases and it is familiar to me now. Understanding the pattern of God’s grace will come to you in much the same way.

You’ll begin at first knowing things were meant to work together. Then an occasional piece will find its rightful place and you will enjoy the “Ah hah” moment. Then it will become more and more familiar until finally you recognize how things should be instantly.

The primary purpose of this blog is to help you recognize each day the pathway God's grace follows. We make it our commitment to help you notice the way “the whole earth is full of God’s glory”! Look for our soon-to-be-released book - Moving at the Speed of Grace: Discovering How God Always Works. My music is available now at Amazon and www.thecolorsofgrace.com.

More tomorrow,