My thoughts this morning at the stove, “The Cream of Wheat might not like the heat, but without heat, I get no breakfast treat.” (It rhymes. 🙂 )
And sometimes, when God’s cooking up something special for us, he has to apply some heat.
“…because the Lord disciplines those he loves… Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:6a, 10-11
Are you feeling some heat? You might not like it,but remember– you’re never alone in the flames:
“God doesn’t always give us answers, but He always gives us Himself.” ~~ Chip Ingram
“…and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, “Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?” They replied, “Certainly, O king.” He said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” (Click here to read the rest of the story in Daniel 3)
An old, old devotional, Streams in the Desert, is recommended reading in the heat. This excerpt was especially encouraging to me when I was in my own furnace once. Read it here . ( If you can’t now, bookmark it for later. It’s really good.)
And, speaking of recommended reading, the link on the right, “I’m Suffering!” is chocked FULL of encouraging words and articles. Great for bookmarking, as well.
Let’s pray:
“Oh, Father, thank you for loving me. You know what’s best for me and I know I can trust you during the hard times. Every cook knows without heat, the bread don’t rise, and You’re the best cook of all, so help me to trust that you’re cooking up something really good in/with my life when I feel the flames.
Give me patience in the oven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Finally 🙂 Here’s Louis Armstrong singing “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” Enjoy!!!
Gloriadelia 
yay cream of wheat!
Yes, but did you get the point, my sweet English niece?! ❤
Thank you for sharing, Gloris. It is so difficult to endure the trials, but God doesn’t waste any of the pain. He uses it for our good and His glory.
You may like to read a post I put up a while back called, His Bottle of Tears.
http://yoursacredcalling.blogspot.com/2009/08/part-2-his-bottle-of-tears.html
So true, Stacy. Thanks for linking your post. I like the title, “His Bottle of Tears”. Gloris
Thanks for stopping by my blog. 🙂
For the breakfast cookie, I simply mash it all together really well with a fork, and pop it in the fridge overnight. The key is having a really ripe banana on hand, because it sweetens it right up. 🙂
For the overnight oats, I let it sit overnight in the fridge. If you like it a tad bit warmer, you can always microwave it the next morning for a minute or so, just to take the chill off. 🙂
Let me know if you have any more questions about it. 🙂