Credit the Creator

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.(Ephesians 2:10).

 

God has taught me and is continuing to teach me through His Holy Spirit that as the Creator, all credit goes to him.

Now I’m much more Primark than Prada, but say I were to wear a very nice outfit, people may compliment me on it and ask where I bought it from. So in essence they are saying that the clothes shop where I bought the outfit from designs, makes and sells good clothes. I am merely, displaying the workmanship of the designer.

To bring it closer to home, imagine your mother was a real genius at sewing, and she made you the outfit that you were wearing AND she was in the same room as you whilst you were getting the compliments. Would you not proudly say ‘my mother made it for me?’

So likewise, always send the compliments to God first. Credit the creator.

Now I like cooking, I love taking my time to cook a meal with love. When I have made a meal that just hits the spot and looks beautiful, I feel very proud of it. I stand back look over it and smile.

How much more do you think God thinks of you? You are God’s handiwork (Ephesians 2:10a).

Now God created every single cell in your body, He made what is visible and invisible to the naked eye. He knows every hair on your head (Matthew 10:30).

God created your personality; He gave you your intelligence and your passions. He inspired every great idea you have ever had and gave you every good gift that you are in possession of, be it the roof over your head, the children in your arms or the sofa that you are sitting on (James 1:17).

Crediting the creator helps us as the creation to remain humble. This is especially true for those of us in fore-front ministries.

Using us wasn’t surprising for God so always remember the source. Never get puffed up. Instead find every opportunity to credit the Creator. Give Him the glory that He most certainly deserves.

Blessings

Maz x

John’s gospel and God’s Glory

Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? John 9:1

You see when you are faced with an obstacle, illness or any negative situation in your life. You may tend to ask the question, where did I go wrong?

I’m sure it’s something that I have done that has caused this ‘crosses’ on me! Maybe I took a wrong turn, maybe I didn’t listen. Is it something I ate that caused this baby of mine, to have a defect? Why is this ‘baby’ not the way I want him/her or to be? Why are they blind?

Hear the words of the Father, spoken through Jesus.

Verse 3: ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life’.

You see God doesn’t do a miracle in your life for your glory. The primary reason He works a miracle in your life is for His glory! Your benefit is a secondary side effect.

Coming down in John to a dead Lazarus in John 11:40, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’

The Mighty Son of God, raised Lazarus from the dead and God was primarily glorified, the scores and scores of people that believed on the Son when Lazarus was raised was immense, many travelled from far and near just to glance a look at Jesus and the one whom He had raised. God was glorified and guess what, Lazarus got a second chance at life, but however, this was secondary.

John 12:27-28 highlights the run up to the unrivalled, incomparable and indescribable glorification of God the Father.

‘Now my heart is troubled’ – Christ, fully man and fully God was not immune to feeling distressed, but in his time of distress His response was for the Father to, glorify His name!

Now I’ve been doing a bit of soul-searching, or maybe I should say Christ searching. I really and I mean really want to know who Christ is, my findings may come in the form of another blog.

But what John has taught me is that Christ lived and breathed for His father’s glory and did exactly what He wanted, said exactly what He said and lived to please Him. Seeing as Christ came as the example and to show us the way, let us follow His example.

‘I have glorified it and I will glorify it again’. (28)

Father God, Glorified His name through the death of His son.  I believe him glorifying his name is continuous, hence why he says He will glorify it again. God the Father wants to glorify his name in various different ways, one being in your life!

There is nothing comparable to the death on the cross, the agony, the pain, the distress trumps our problems greatly.

Let us seek for the glory of God!

We have his promise to us in His word. I will glorify my name If God could glorify His name on a gruesome, ugly cross. Can He not glorify His name in your situation?

 For Your glory

I will do anything
Just to see You
To behold You as my King

(Tasha Cobbs)

Blessings

Maz x

Now let’s talk about food: Are you seasoned? (Part 1)

Ecclesiastics 3:1

‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven’

I love food, I get emotional about food. I’ve passed on this love to Josh, he will literally cry for food. I often joke if you don’t like good food and eating you can’t be my friend (I’m deadly seriously, I can’t tolerate this one mouthful I’m done business).

Caribbean people take their food very seriously. I was with a couple of girlfriends yesterday and the conversations turned to menu options for wedding breakfasts. Some protested that they didn’t want rice and peas and curry goat at their wedding. I gave them the stern warning, that they will be making some enemies with the in-laws and guests, that is, if they ended up marrying a Jamaican or somebody of Caribbean decent.

A celebration is not a celebration in Caribbean culture without curry goat. It’s like having a birthday party with no birthday cake. It really is that deep, especially to the older generation.

Caribbean cooking requires marinating sometimes for hours, sometimes days! Every Caribbean home has a seasoning cupboard. Now I will talk about Jamaican cooking as that is what I know best, plus I don’t want the rest of the Caribbean community against me for disrespecting their macaroni cheese or roti. The most frequent seasonings that are used in Jamaican cuisine are, scotch bonnet pepper, thyme, garlic, onions/scallion, ginger and all-purpose seasoning. That about makes up the base for mostly all Jamaican dishes. Now a well-seasoned dish will bring flavour down to the bone.

Now my question to you is are you seasoned?

You can tell the hand of a seasoned individual. There is a tender and experienced touch, a richness, a flavour. You can be seasoned in every single area of your life. You can tell a seasoned doctor, mother, hairdresser you name it!

Now with seasoning, it’s all about balance. You don’t want to be too salty, too bland or too garlicky.

Now where do you get the seasoning from?

• Your upbringing (That’s your base)
• Your church (That’s your flavour)
• Your friends ( Shows you how intense your flavour actually is)
• Your revelation of God (That’s your depth)
• Your experiences, good and bad (Learning from your experiences brings the balance).

I believe God wants us to be seasoned individuals, because with God there is a cooking process, with cooking comes an aroma, an aroma that stems from good seasoning.

Stay tuned for part 2.

Blessings, Maz x