I’m not an avid baker. I prefer to stay in the lane of Betty Crocker cake mixes or Ghiradelli brownie boxes. So, please, don’t allow the following analogy to give me any more credit or expertise in your eyes than I deserve! When you’re baking a cake, and you want to know if it’s done, you stick a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it’s clean when you remove it, then it’s finished! If it has a bunch of sticky cake pieces on it, the batter is a little underdone, and it needs to be baked a bit more.
In this analogy, we’re the cake batter, and God’s presence in our lives is the oven. Here’s the real truth:
We’re all half-baked!
Some of us have been in the oven since childhood. We have seen the Holy Spirit work out patience, kindness, and gentleness in our lives, along with some of the other fruits of His presence. Because we’ve been with Jesus for a decent amount of time, it can be frustrating when we mess up. It can be frustrating when we suddenly don’t know what to do in the next situation. It can be lonely when we feel like we’re not hearing from God in the same way. What gives me confidence, patience and assurance, is the idea of working out our salvation daily. The processes of completion, or sanctification, praise God, takes a lifetime. The timer we run on in our mental expectation is not always accurate or fair. So, like Jesus, give yourself some grace.
When we’ve been in God’s presence for a while, we sometimes start to feel a little “done.” Not done with Jesus, but fully transformed. We begin to see a difference in our lives, experience peace and joy. For some reason, it’s easy to step out of the oven of God’s presence at that point. Maybe we lose the passion for God’s word, or we stop spending consistent time in prayer, because the immediate measures of our lives appear full. God is not merely interested in portions of you being “done.” He isn’t only concerned about our edges. He is working on the whole of us, the very center of us, which takes more time.
As we continue to bake, grow, and develop, we are also called to lead others into the oven of God’s presence. The relationship of discipleship, healing, and loving others requires humility. Jesus talks about the importance of a humble heart many times in the New Testament. Matthew 11:29 (ESV) “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Like Jesus, we are called to walk in that incredible middle ground. The ground that says we are heirs to the Kingdom, but still lowly. We have the power of resurrection inside of us, but we are gentle. We have authority in heaven and on earth given by God, but we choose to be last. Sometimes we miss the humility part, and begin to assess other’s doneness without grace. If I look at someone’s process, and compare them to myself, I may start to believe the lie that I somehow got where I am without being in the oven and look down upon this undercooked person. This is how we lose our humility.
We are all compared to Jesus, therefore, not as holy and not as perfect, and certainly not able to step into that holiness without Him! Let’s stay gentle, loving, and compassionate. But fight to keep people in the faith, not so they can be like us, but so that we can ALL be like Jesus together!
Unfortunately, and fortunately, one of the main ingredients used to turn you into something palatable is the pressures of this world. We do not have to flee from troubles! We need to surrender our troubles and let God use them to build us up, to give us flavor, to create in us a way to bless and minister to others. The way God transforms what could destroy us into something that adds character and complexity to our design is nothing short of miraculous. Let those miracles happen in your life. Watch God work through the trials, through the brokenness, through the hurt.
As I look at myself, I still see the gooeyness of my immaturity. I am not done. And God is not done! Let’s continue on, have grace for ourselves and one another, and continue to become a sweet aroma to our Jesus!
Candace Cortez
Executive Pastor
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