Work is Worship? (Recipe: Date and Walnut cake)

Recently while reading the word, I was struck by a portion that seemed very relevant to most of us, as in the most innocent of ways, it makes us appear guilty.

Habakkuk 1: 16: Therefore he sacrifices to his net and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury and enjoys the choicest food.

Wow! This was a bang on the head for me! Here the person is accused of worshipping his work, because he depends on it for good subsistence. Does this not sound familiar with respect to our own attitudes to work? Most of us today sacrifice readily to our work, we sacrifice our time, our energy, our families and even our comforts…all this ironically, to ensure that we provide well for our families and maintain our comforts. We worship our work by making it our first priority over everything else. How many of us willingly give up a church service if we are called in to work at the same time? But how many of us will willingly take leave from work to attend a church service or fellowship? And so the obvious worship we give to our work is also quite apparent.

The Word of God easily explains this devotion to our work, it’s clearly because we depend on our work to provide us the luxury and rich food we need. Our dependence therefore, is not on the Lord, but on our jobs! We often forget the verse

1 Corinthians 10: 26: for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

And Psalm 112: 1-3: Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.
Many many other verses indicate that the Lord is our source and everything we have is a blessing from him. And yet we so easily forget this while we give our blood and sweat as slaves to our jobs. A person who does this is categorized as ‘wicked’ according to the Word of God. We are also aware of how the Lord strongly condemns worshiping anyone or anything apart from him as we see in
Exodus 20: 3: You shall have no other gods before me.
With all this instruction from the Lord, how is it that we still manage to forget these important things and let our entire lives revolve around our jobs?
Let us pray and ask the Lord to forgive us for disobeying him so blatantly and prioritizing our jobs as the source of our blessings, when it is actually the Lord!

Another sweet recipe for today!

Recipe for Date and Walnut cake


Ingredients:

Plain Flour – 280gms
Eggs – 2
Dates (pitted and chopped) – 200gms
Chopped walnuts – 75gms
Ground almonds – 75gms
Soft Brown Sugar – 150gms
Ground Cinnamon – 1 teaspoon
Ground Cloves – ½ teaspoon
Ground Nutmeg – ½ teaspoon
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon
Butter – 25gms
Soda Bicarbonate – 1 teaspoon
Baking Powder – 2 teaspoon
Water – 225ml

Icing (Optional)

Lemon rind – ½ lemon
Lemon Juice – 1 tablespoon
Icing sugar – 110 gms
Melted Butter- 10 gms
Cream – 1 Tablespoon


Instructions:

1.Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Boil water and pour into a bowl. To this add butter, dates and soda bicarbonate. Stir till butter melts and set aside to cool.

2.In another bowl, whip eggs and sugar, then add the cooled date mixture.

3.To this add flour, ground spices, salt, baking powder, followed by vanilla essence and the ground almonds as well as chopped walnuts.

4.Pour the batter into a well greased 8” or 9”springfoam cake pan and place into preheated oven to bake at 180 degrees for 35 minutes, then at 160 degrees for another 25 minutes. Stick a wet knife into the cake, if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Take out and set aside to cool. Remove frame from cake pan.

5.In a bowl, whip together lemon rind, lemon juice, icing sugar, melted butter and cream. Then pour this mixture over cooled cake and smooth over the cake. Let the icing set before serving.

Building your house on the rock (Recipe: Vegetable Manchurian)

We are all aware of the story of the two men who build houses in Mathew 7: 24-27:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

Recently on reading this portion, the Lord revealed to me an aspect of this parable that has escaped me every time I have read it earlier. If building a house is likened to our spiritual walk, then we need to understand that both these men were on spiritual paths. They were both building houses. Jesus says here that anyone who hears his words and incorporates them in his spiritual walk is like a man who is building his eternity on solid foundation. His pursuit of eternal life and a firm relationship with God is then based on the unshakable rock that is the word of God! Meaning, he not only hears the word of God, he also acts on it!

Even merely hearing these words of Jesus are meant to produce faith as we see in

Romans 10: 17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.

We are also aware that faith by itself is not effective, as we see in

James 2: 17: In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

So unless if we live our lives or pursue our spiritual walk as per Jesus’ instructions, then whatever attacks we may face, we will be unmoved, unshakable and indestructible!

However, if we only hear the words of Jesus, but do not act on them in our spiritual walk, we are quite likely to be disappointed in the end!

You see both men were building houses that they believed would stand in a storm and offer them security. Which is similar to two people who believe they are living Christian lives, and are protected because of their faith in Jesus. But unless that walk is in obedience to the word of God and visible by their deeds, that foundation is shaky! They may very well be disappointed in the end when they’re lives are ripped open by storms and waves….when their whole Christian walk seems to have been ineffective and pointless. At that point, if they are wondering how is it that their spiritual lives have been destroyed despite believing in Jesus, they would need to realize it was not built on the foundation of obedience to his words, but just on hearing or knowing those words!
Let us pray to the Lord to give us the strength and guidance to always be obedient to Jesus’ words so that our walk with God is built on a solid rock which will not be shaken no matter how much the enemy attacks!

Vegetable Manchurian

Ingredients:

Thinly Grated Carrot – 2
Thinly Grated Cabbage – 500gms
Finely diced Spring onion – 3 bulbs
Chopped spring onion – 3 bulbs
Salt – as required
Pepper – as required
Corn flour – 6 tablespoons
Plain flour – 4 tablespoons
Diced Green chilly – 2
Spring onion stems – 3
Diced garlic – 6 pods
Soy Sauce – 3 Tablespoons
Chicken Stock – 1 cup
Water – as required
Oil – as required

Instructions:

1.Squeeze out the water from the grated carrot and cabbage and place in a bowl. To this add the diced spring onion, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of corn flour and 4 tablespoons of plain flour.

2.To this, add very little water gradually as required to form a consistency that allows you to roll this mixture into small balls.

3.Deep or Shallow fry these balls in a frying pan.

4.Heat 3 Tablespoons of oil in a dish, add the diced garlic and sauté till raw smell subsides. Then add diced green chilly, followed by the chopped spring onions and stir for a minute or so. Pour in the soy sauce, followed by chicken stock.

5.To this, add the fried balls. Mix 4 tablespoons of corn flour in ¼ cup of cold water and pour into the gravy when it boils. Let it boil for around 2 minutes or till the gravy gets thicker in consistency.

6.Garnish with chopped spring onion stems and serve hot.

What did you expect? (Recipe : Kerala Coconut Chutney/ Thenga Samandi)

I read an interesting portion today of how Jesus calmed the storm in Matthew chapter 8. We all know the story of how Jesus was sleeping while their boat was being flooded in the storm.

Matthew 8: 25 – 27: The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!"

I found the last statement truly bewildering! The disciples were amazed that Jesus calmed the storm, that he commanded the winds and the waves…..this is probably understandable…but in verse 25, when they say “Lord, save us!”….what were they expecting?? They were obviously expecting him to save them, to resolve the situation…but when He did, they appear to be amazed that He could! So what did they think he would do to save them? Obviously not stop the storm! They expected something much much smaller, but just enough to procure their safety.

Jesus on the other hand was hoping they would not be so rattled by a storm, when He was in the boat with them! He rebukes their lack of faith in who He is, but their reaction to the display of His power just goes on to highlight that they had no idea who He truly was let alone of His power.

Is this how our faith is as well? We obviously have Jesus in our lives, He is in our boats….but when the storm comes, are we rattled, begging for Him to deliver us based on our small idea of who He is? Do we expect GREAT things from Him? If we truly know who He is, then is that not what we should do? I have a feeling that Jesus allowed that storm just so that He could give them and idea of how to think…..to stop looking for tiny miracles and look for BIG ONES. To not expect Him to just steady the boat, but stop the storm! Many times when we go through problems, we have an idea of the solution and we expect God to implement those ideas, we try to limit what the Lord can do because of our limited understanding of who He is! How disappointed Jesus must have felt, these men slept where He slept, ate with Him, spent every waking moment with Him and yet showed that they had no idea of who He was or what He could do for them, despite all the miraculous things He was doing! What more could He have done to show them His potential?

Are we not like this as well? We see what the Lord has done, not only in His word, but also in the lives of people around us and people we know! But we still we do not really believe in His power to do amazing things in our lives, to calm storms, change the weather, heal our sickness, and speak deliverance into our lives! There are instances in the Old Testament where the Lord kept the sun from setting for a whole day, and where the Lord turned back time! The Word says that God does not change in

Hebrews 13: 8: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

So, what He did then, He can also do now! Let us pray to the Lord to remove any mental or spiritual blocks in us that would make us limit His power and potential to manifest those powers in our lives!

I’m going a little traditional with today’s recipe. Good old Kerala coconut chutney (thenga samandhi), it’s a favourite with rice and curd in Kerala.

Recipe for Kerala Coconut chutney ( Thenga Samandhi)

This recipe is made by grinding the ingredients on stone in Kerala. However, we would have to use a grinder.

Ingredients:

Dry Red Chilly – 4 (more if you need it really spicy)
Tamarind pulp – one teaspoon scoop
Red button onions – 4 or Regular Red Onion – ¼
Diced Ginger – 2 Tablespoons
Coconut – ½ cup
Salt – as required

1.In a frying pan, dry roast the red chilly.

2.In a wet grinder put in the red chilly, coconut, tamarind, onions, ginger, coconut, salt and grind till the chutney has an even texture. Avoid adding water as much as possible.

3.The chutney can be stored in the fridge for a few days and is excellent with white rice.

Called or Followed? (Recipe : French Toast)

Praise God! What an Awesome God we have! The Lord blessed me with a wonderful break, which was indeed needed before I was plunged into a week of Assessments in my course. The Lord has been doing amazing things in my life and in the life of those around me. He has been revealing His faithfulness and power, imparting gifts and healing spirits. Truly, Let everything that has breath PRAISE THE LORD!

Called or Followed?


It is interesting to note that all of Jesus’ disciples were not called, you see, some of them sought him, and then followed him when they found him. We are always waiting to be called by the Lord. Have we stopped to think for a minute that maybe He is waiting for you to seek Him? We see in

John 1: 35- 42: The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?" They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?" Come," he replied, "and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour. Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas."

These men followed Jesus, they called their loved ones, dragged them along too to follow Jesus. It is important to realize here that Jesus actually passed them by. He did not stop or call them or address them. He said absolutely nothing to them as he passed them by. Surely he knew who they were or would be to him, but he waited for them to follow him before allowing them to be his disciples. Now if those two had heard what John said and just acknowledged it but did nothing, if they had not chosen of their own will to follow him, they may never had been one of the twelve.

It is important to understand that God has a path set for you, a plan for you, an outcome that would be victorious, but unless you choose to follow him and seek him, you may very well lose out on your opportunity to do great things for God and with God! Whatever course you take, God is able to guide you through it, but sitting in frustration about not being able to serve God or have a deeper relationship with Him may very well be the result of the fact that we do not seek God or choose to follow him. All of us call on the Lord, we cling to him for our salvation, it’s all about what He can do for us. How much effort do we put into what we can do for Him? How much time do we spend asking Him “Lord where are you staying?”..or in other words, Lord, where can I go to be with you? Take me to the place where I can always experience your presence!

Another amazing thing about the above scripture is how Jesus addresses Simon. It is so exciting and beautiful to see that the Lord recognized Simon for not only who he was at the time, but for who he was going to be! How wonderful it would be to hear from the Lord, you are Sindu, daughter of Thomas, You will be called…
Wow! The important thing to recognize here is that when the Lord meets you, he calls out your destiny in Him, he speaks forth what you will be and do for His kingdom! Those words that proceed from his mouth, will not return to him empty!

We see this clearly in Isaiah 55:11: so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

We all know that Simon did indeed become Cephas! He was known as Cephas (Peter) till the day he died and forever after! That is what the word of God accomplishes! What comes out of His mouth, will be fulfilled. When you meet God, he does not sit in silence, just as you are talking, he also says things to you, fruitful things, things that will establish your future and prosper your life! If Andrew didn’t take Peter to meet Jesus, we don’t know if Peter would have heard these words from Jesus! This shows the responsibility we hold to bring others into God’s presence, so that he can speak into their lives, to speak prophecy over them and bless their lives to be fruitful for him!

Let us pray and ask the Lord to help us to never lose an opportunity to meet with Him, to live and soak up His presence, to be blessed by the words He speaks over us! Let us pray that the Lord uses us to bring others into His presence, so that they may taste His goodness and blessings as well!


After a long break, I think it’s best to start with something sweet again!


Recipe for French Toast:

Ingredients

White bread slices – 4
Milk – 1 ½ cup
Egg – 1
Sugar – 4 Tablespoons
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla essence – 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder – a pinch
Cardamom powder – ½ teaspoon
Cinnamon powder (optional) – a pinch
Margarine or butter – as required

Instructions:

1.In a bowl, whip milk, egg, sugar, salt, vanilla essence, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon to an even mix.

2.Soak a slice of bread in the mix and drop into a flat pan greased with margarine or butter.

3.The pan must be on low flame so as to not overdo the outside and with the inside of the toast uncooked. In about three minutes, flip the bread over to the other side and cook for another three minutes for the toast to be done.

4.Serve hot with maple syrup, fruit or ice cream.