What’s the most popular cookie in the U.S.? Chocolate Chip!

This famous cookie was created at the Toll House Inn by Ruth Wakefield in 1930. When making cookies for their guests, she ran out of an ingredient and substituted a bar of chopped Nestle Semi- Sweet Chocolate. And the rest is history!

Since 1930 people have created many variations of the original recipe by adding, deleting or substituting ingredients. The Word of God is sometimes treated like the chocolate chip cookie recipe with its’ many variations. I’m not referring to translations clarifying the text, but to people who add, delete or made substitutions to the original text.

For example,
Ephesians 4:15

Instead, speaking the truth in love,
 we will grow to become in every respect
 the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
 Ephesians 4:15 NIV

WHERE’S THE LOVE?

What if someone deletes “love” so that the verse reads as,
“Instead, speaking the truth”?

Certainly, speaking the truth is important.  But where’s the love? By deleting “love” a key ingredient is left out giving the impression that it’s ok to speak the truth harshly.  That’s like removing the sweetener from chocolate chip cookies. Those cookies would not be any more palatable than truth spoken harshly.

WHERE’S THE TRUTH?

What if someone deletes “truth” so that the verse reads as,
“Instead, speaking in love,”?

When we delete “truth”, doesn’t that imply that speaking a lie is ok if it’s more loving than the truth?  That would be like adding too much sweetener to our chocolate chip cookies and leaving out the salt. There would be no balance to the flavor.

Let your speech always be with grace,
 seasoned with salt,
 that you may know how you ought to answer each one,
Colossians 4:6

Just like the cookie recipe gives us a balance of salt and sweetener, this verse gives us a balance of truth and love.

READ IT ALL!

Besides all the ingredients, what is needed to make the original cookie?

Reading and following all the instructions!  Otherwise, our cookie may not be like the original. It’s the same for the scriptures.  When we don’t read the entire chapter or a verse in context, the scripture’s original meaning may change.

What’s the full meaning of Ephesians 4:15? Start with verse 11 to see.

⁽¹¹⁾ So, Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, 
the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 
⁽¹²⁾ to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 
⁽¹³⁾ until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God 
and become mature, 
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Isn’t that encouraging?

We are not alone, but are part of a community where Christ has gifted others! Why? To equip us in growing unity in faith, knowledge and maturity.

These verses, with verse 14, give context to Ephesians 4:15. It encourages us that we can grow our faith to become mature believers able to recognize false teachers and speak the truth in love. 

⁽¹⁴⁾ Then we will no longer be infants, 
tossed back and forth by the waves, 
and blown here and there by every wind of teaching
 and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
 ⁽¹⁵⁾ Instead, speaking the truth in love, 
we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him
who is the head, that is, Christ,
Ephesians 4:14-15 NIV

HOW DO WE FIND THE TRUTH?

LOOK FOR THE RAISINS!

This may appear to be an original chocolate chip cookie. But beware, it could have raisins in disguise! To discern if it’s the original, we need to examine the cookie. What’s inside? Does it ooze with rich, gooey chocolate chips or is it full of raisins?

False teachers may not be identified by their appearance either. What’s in the heart of the teacher? Is it oozing with love or full of dried-up fruit? As a mature believer in Christ, we are able to examine their words and actions to discern what is in their hearts.

Watch out for false prophets.
 They come to you in sheep’s clothing,
but inwardly they are ferocious wolves,
 Matthew 7:15 NIV

TRUE OR FALSE?

Because Jesus loves us, He has given us a way to identify false teachers. Just like we identify a false chocolate chip cookie by their raisins, we can identify a false teacher by their fruit. Referring to false prophets, Jesus said;

By their fruit you will recognize them.
  Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit,
but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
 Matthew 7:16b -17 NIV

False teachers speak lies with such confidence and flattery that they are perceived as truth. When in fact they are partial, twisted and misrepresented truths combined with the lies. Their words create a variation of God’s Word like a variation of the chocolate chip cookie recipe. Neither are the originals.

COMPARE!

By comparing a teacher’s words and actions to the scriptures, we will know if they are producing good, truthful fruit or bad, false fruit.

REFLECTION

Do you suspect that you have devoured false fruit?

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, as I read Ephesians 4:15 and say it aloud, guide me to grow my relationship with You to maturity so that I can discern the truth from the raisins. In Jesus name. Amen.

GROW FAITH TO MATURITY
&
RECOGNIZE THE RAISINS!

Comment!

________________________________________________________________________________________________
*For information on making Jesus Christ your Savior, email me or visit, http://www.peacewithgod.net/

Photo child, Ben White