Sunday, May 22, 2011

IS YOUR HEART SMOTHERED IN BROWNIE BATTER?

Do you enjoy brownie batter more than the actual baked brownie? Yep, I do! For me, a plain brownie that stands alone is just that—plain, nothing special. Plain brownies tempt me, not! I bypass without hesitation. However, you stick a bowl in front of me oozing with fresh brownie batter and it’s a different story.

Growing up I always had a knack for showing up in the kitchen just when my mom finished pouring the batter into the pan prior to the heating. Being the thoughtful and helpful lad I was, I grabbed the bowl to clean it thoroughly with a good spatula. (It was always messy, but licking good!) Definitely well worth the sacrifice to ensure the bowl was spic-n-span. Needless to say, I’ve continued the habit to this day, to my wife’s delight (what wife wouldn’t want a husband who helps around the kitchen!).

Recently my wife and three year old daughter baked some brownies with some extras like crumbled Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (and other healthy goodies!). As I entered the kitchen that day, my eyes scanned the countertop for the bounty—the treasured brownie batter bowl. I was hoping for dear life that the “unlicked” bowl did not meet an immature and senseless demise in the sink baptized in soapy water.

Off to the side my eyes caught a glimpse. Ah, my heart leapt!

The bowl glistened, undefiled. Untouched, it stood with an inviting allure. My wife noticed my gawking. Being the wise woman she is, she immediately handed me the bowl smothered with batter.

(However, I must state, proudly so, that I decided to set it aside for dessert since dinner was only 30 minutes away. I can’t eat a dessert or snack right before the main meal—my mom taught me well!)

As you may have taken note of, I enjoy—immensely so—brownie batter!

I have a question for you: What is the brownie batter that God unrelentingly seeks after?

Just as my eyes scoured the kitchen for the prized brownie batter, the eyes of God scan the landscape for one thing so dear to Him—namely, your heart of devotion to Him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 states, “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His” (NASB).

Ah, a heart that is “completely His”—it is like a heart smothered in brownie batter that the eyes of God cannot resist! Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 11:3 precisely this brownie batter smothered heart as “the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” A heart truly devoted to Christ is to be treasured above all else.

Is your heart like a bowl smothered in brownie batter waiting for the taking? Will the eyes of the Lord find your heart as one devoted to Him, one that is “completely His”?


Copyright © 2011, Brian Francis Hume

2 comments:

Barclay said...

Wow Brian! The Lord has been speaking to me along these lines for a couple of weeks now. I think you've captured the idea well!

Kingdom Shifts said...

Barclay, thanks for dropping by; as always, I appreciate the feedback. The two verses that I shared in this devotional are quite dear to my heart. The 2 Chronicles 16:9 Scripture has always stirred something deep within my heart whenever I'd mull over it. I thought it would be appropriate to share in this context.

Also I'm glad to hear that the Lord has been stirring similiar thoughts within your heart in the most recent season.