Order Matters

I love to bake. Usually. Except for those times when I don't read the instructions correctly and add ingredients in the wrong order. Most of the time, baking involves adding your sugars and butter together, whipping the eggs in after that, and then adding the bowl full of dry ingredients which have already been mixed together. But sometimes those specifications change, and in my haste I don't pay attention. I usually don't notice my error until the "fruit" of my labor comes out of the oven and I realize something has gone terribly wrong.

Order matters.

It matters in things of far more weight than baking, too.

God gives us an order for what we are to do when we have a problem with someone. We are to go to them first, not go to anyone else. Only when they won't listen are we to involve someone else. (Matthew18)

God gives us an order for how the family is to be structured. Husbands are the head and must love their wives as Christ loves the church, wives are helpmates to their husbands and are called to respect them,  and children are to honor and obey their parents. (Ephesians 5-6)

God also gives us an order for how churches should function. Pastor/elders are to lead, deacons are to serve, and the congregation is to live out the one another's while they all mutually submit to each other and reach out to evangelize the lost near and far. (I Timothy 3/ Romans 12)

And God even graciously gives us an order to follow when we are unsure of His will for our lives. He calls us to rejoice always, worry about nothing, and pray with a heart of thanksgiving...which reaps the fruit of peace in our hearts and minds. (Philippians 4)

Just looking at the four orders listed above (and there are many more "orders" than these in the Bible), I realize how often I get these mixed up. I love Christmastime, but I often find myself extra busy, extra harried, and often looking to cut corners where I can, to make up for the lack of time. Yet, I have learned that the times when I am feeling most hasty in my spirit are often the times when I am prone to ignore God's order for living, especially in my relationships with others. It can lead to hurts, arguments, and a spirit of worry and regret.

Order matters....in our baking and in our living.

May our Christmas plates be filled with near-perfect creations, but, more importantly may we reap the fruit of the Spirit as we follow God's perfect recipes...perfectly ordered for our good and His glory!



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