Doughnut Recipes

This morning I tried out a new recipe for cupcake-style doughnuts.  (It seems like every Fall when apple season comes I'm looking for a good doughnut recipe....do you have any? lol) Boy, did they ever smell good while baking! The batter was tasty, too;  both kids were clamoring for the "eaters" (beaters) from my mixer.  When the doughnuts were done, I pulled them out of the oven to cool off and proceeded to dust them with cinnamon  sugar.  We all were eager to taste the finished product!

The great moment came--and went.  After one bite of those doughnuts, I had to throw the whole batch out.  I had misread the ingredient list--using baking SODA instead of the baking POWDER the recipe required!  That was definitely a tongue-tingling experience. Change just one ingredient and the whole recipe becomes unusable!

That got me to thinking just a little bit about my life.  God has a plan and  a purpose for me~ and He gives me instructions (a recipe, if you will) to follow:  Love Me.  Obey Me.  Be holy, like Me.  But so many times I fail to  follow his instructions, and during that time I become unusable to Him-- until I confess my sin of selfishness and  I am restored to fellowship with my Lord.

I was also reminded of King Saul in 1 Samuel.  God had instructed him to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites, sparing nothing!  But Saul thought he would save the best and offer it to God.  Changing that one little instruction, even for a seemingly "good" reason, cost Saul the throne of Israel.

I'm learning that for God's hand of blessing to be on my life, I must carry out His instructions exactly. I must guard against going my own way.  How  delicious I imagine those doughnuts would have been this morning, had I only followed the recipe!  Dear sister, I don't want anyone to reflect on my life and say, "what a pity that Erin never followed God wholeheartedly!"  I don't  want to become unusable to Him because of one wrong "ingredient" in my life.  May He increase more and more in my life and in yours!

By His Grace~
Erin :O)

Art work Copyright© by Paula Vaughan