My Paisley Chair

There are at least 2 kinds of cooks in the kitchen, one follows a recipe to the letter, the other just dumps stuff in until it tastes right. While putting some meals together at Sandy’s house she said “I can’t fly by the seat of your pants!” Want to guess what kind of cook I am?

Recipes with exact measurements of ingredients a mile long frustrate me! My kitchen pantry is more likely to be stocked with prepackaged mixes and my refrigerator will have sauces and condiments jam packed in the door. Someone else has already done the science and testing on those and there’s no need for me to reinvent that wheel. Our household has always required that we put together meals in a hurry, and I’ve never had the luxury of a sous chef to assist.

Enough of my excuses about my lack of kitchen prowess, what I have learned is that to get the desired outcome (whether by scratch or package) you have to follow the directions. Substitutions in the ingredients will change the outcome – even some of those Betty Crocker kitchen tested substitutions will change the outcome, if even just slightly.

If, big if with capital letters, substitutions ever so slight, subtle and simple can change the outcome of a recipe, mathematical equation or medicine – how much more could a substitution of a word or concept change the outcome when we are applying the Word of God to our lives? Following directions matters! Having the correct ingredients in the right proportions matters! Words and their meanings matter! If we are to achieve the desired outcome – abundant life – we must apply the Word as it was meant to be.

Remember Dr. Seuss’s Horton? Horton’s famous quote in the book Horton Hatches An Egg is “I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent!” I don’t think that is original with Horton! God meant what He said and said what He meant FIRST! It seems to me that if we are not getting the anticipated outcome when we are applying the Word of God to our lives, maybe we’ve got something mixed up. I have firmly believed, for all of my life, that the Word of God works – all the time – if given time.

Theology is not supposed to be complicated, it is however supposed to be consistent. Again, God said what He meant and meant what He said. Anything that contradicts what has already been revealed about God’s character, ability, expectations, provisions and or promises etc. must be rejected. God does not change!

So what’s the deal? I have to look at my understanding, pray for knowledge and wisdom to see where I’ve gone off the rails. It’s never a misunderstanding on God’s part. What I have come to realize is that there are some subtle, simple, slight word substitutions that I’ve made that change the outcome. I don’t think they are ever intentional, but rather that I have help from the enemy of my soul in some of these substitutions. If a slight alteration of the Word can cause me to derail from the purpose and plan God has for me, it seems reasonable that the devil would assist in the process. Aha moment! Or as David says in Psalms “Selah”.

These substitutions are NOT opposites like a contrast, but rather similarities that go unnoticed that lead to an undesired outcome. It just tastes a little off, or didn’t rise like it should. It only takes a slight amount, tad, smidgen, whatever word of choice here, leaven to leaven the whole loaf.

Several “subtle substitutions” have captured my attention that change the outcome when making life application of the Word. My list, while it may be exhausting, is not exhaustive. You may have other slight alterations to the ingredients of life that are inhibiting your pursuit of the abundance that Christ offers. I hope my discoveries will prompt you to submit your inquiries to the Lord for instruction and correction.  Because it really does matter, it really does change the outcome!

In a culture and society where accumulation and acquisition of stuff is seen as success, simplicity and minimalistic lifestyles are making a comeback. Let’s K.I.S.S. a few things and see if the simplicity of the gospel can be discovered.

ABUNDANT LIFE IS SUPPOSED TO BE EASY AND LIGHT!