Over the years, I have been part of conversations where people talked about just how good their mother/grandmother cooked a particular part of a meal. Or it may have been a friend who gave them a recipe of her specialty, but part of the conversation said something like, “I have tried and tried to prepare it like she did, but there must be some ‘secret ingredient’ she used and just don’t know what it might be.”
There is a parallel to this in the lives of far too many of us as we try to follow the Bible. We look at other Christians and wish that we could be what they are and wonder what “special ingredient” they have that we may have overlooked. If you have ever felt this way, keep reading the rest of this article to learn more about this secret.
Obviously, as we try to duplicate in our lives what we see in theirs, we need to understand these ingredients of maturing as a Christian. Some are so obvious—reading the Bible, studying the Bible, attending worship regularly, trying to share what we know with those around us. Yet, sometimes we wonder if there is a “secret ingredient” we have missed.
The Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day certainly understood much of what God had said for them to do. They made lists of the commandments and spent time discussing which of the 613 commands they had listed in the Bible was the most important. They were so devoted to “following the recipe” that they made sure they kept the Sabbath in not traveling more than a sabbath’s day journey. They washed their hands before eating, thinking this was part of what God wanted them to do. They literally strained the water they drank to get rid of any insect that might have fallen into that water. God gave them food laws and just maybe that insect might be one they should not eat. Read Jesus’ words to them as He talked about how they knew the law, but there was some part of it they had overlooked. Keep reading if you want to learn this “secret ingredient.”
They saw His miracles, and they understood these miracles were real. They ate loaves and fish that He miraculously gave to them. They knew His sinless life. Yet, they killed Him because they left something out of the recipe He tried to give them.
Is it possible we are making the same mistake? What was missing? The Bible clearly defines it in the book of Hebrews.
Meditate on this Divine truth. “The word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those that heard it” (Heb. 4:2). It’s not enough to read, to study, to worship, to try to teach others. Make sure you mix faith with knowledge. Heaven’s ingredient we overlook is personal faith!