Happy Wednesday! I hope and pray you are doing well.
Leah Meahl, a fellow writer, graciously invited me to write a guest post on her blog. What an honor! Please go to the link below to read my post about God’s dream for you. While you’re there, check out Leah’s blog. She’s got great, encouraging content.
Love you all,
Meghan
Please welcome Middle Grade Author, Meghan E White to the blog!
via What’s Your Dream? – Guest Post by Meghan E White — Meahltime
It’s just so simple. Love God with all you’ve got, and love others like yourself. Well, that was easy. Please go back to your normal routine, and enjoy the picture of the Nevada desert. Hahaha! I wish just reading those words made loving God and loving others effortless.
What’s the greatest commandment according to Jesus?
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39, NIV
I think about these verses every day. For me, it all boils down to this. The greatest commandment is the umbrella under which all other commandments fall. Love God with all I’ve got and love my neighbors, which is my family and every person, the same way I love myself.
“Love your neighbor as yourself” does not mean to love myself first, before I can love others. It just means in the same way we care for ourselves and our burdens, we show that same level of care and concern for others. Our neighbor is everyone and anyone. Your family, friends, and actual neighbors are your “neighbors”. We don’t get to pick and choose who we love. Though we try, we are called to something different.
Luke 10:30-37 tells the story of the Good Samaritan. Read this story for yourself. It gives a great example of how to be a good neighbor, and to show real love.
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10-36-37, NIV
We are to love all people. Every single person was made in the image of God.
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27, NIV
We need to ask God to help us see people the way He does. If I look at people with my own judgements and opinions then I’m not going to love them very well. If I look at others according to God’s view and that He made them, I can see their hearts much easier.
Loving others is really hard. Loving difficult people is nearly impossible. We don’t have to be best friends with everyone, or hang out with everyone, but we are told to love. We cannot love based on our own feelings or perceptions. Our love for others is based on the love Jesus has placed in our hearts. I cannot properly show love without God. He is love.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8, NIV
Jesus loved me first before I ever knew Him or loved Him.
We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19, NIV
Love is so much bigger than like. The love Jesus gives us is beyond anything we will experience from another person. Jesus gave His life for us because He loves us.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8, NIV
How do we love God with every part of us? It means we don’t hold anything back from God. Loving God is a natural response from a genuine relationship with Him. The more you know God, the more you will love Him. He gave us full access to Him because of Jesus.
To love God with all my heart, soul, and mind means I put Him first in my life. I give Him everything. I praise Him. Read His word. Pray. Ask Him to fill my mind with His thoughts. It is a daily choice to love God with every part of me. Though I will never love Him perfectly, I will make a choice to let my heart be loyal to Him first and foremost.
The Spurgeon Study Bible says:
“‘With all your heart’ means intensely. ‘With all your soul’ means sincerely, most lovingly. ‘And with all your strength’ means with all our energy, with every faculty, with every possibility of our nature.”
The greatest commandment to love God with every ounce of me and to love people is impossible. If I rely on myself to accomplish these acts, then it’s a failure every time. When I rely on Jesus, I can love the way He loves.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Jon 15:5, NIV
Loving God and loving everybody is how we shine our lights in this dark world. We have the awesome responsibility to be Jesus’ hands and feet to every person we encounter. We were never meant to do it in our own ability. Otherwise we’d never need Jesus. We need Jesus every moment, of every hour, of every day.
Let’s love our awesome God with everything we’ve got. Let’s love His kids well.
Love you all,
Meghan
Father God,
Thank you for your perfect love. Thank you for sending your son, Jesus to save us. Help us God, to love you and love others greatly. We cannot properly love people without You. Show us others, the way you see them. Let us see hearts and souls. Help us to see the hurting, lost, and broken. Use us, imperfect vessels, to love people. Thank you for the privilege we get to show Your love. We praise you!
Amen
One bite of this rich dessert won’t make you wealthy, but it will make you smile. Buttery shortbread crust, a soft caramel center, topped with dark chocolate, and a sprinkle of sea salt make this bar worth a million. I would pay top dollar at a bakery for this delicacy.
Do you like Twix candy bars? This decadent little bar is similar, but even better than the store bought treat. It’s worth the effort to make these indulgent goodies. The trickiest part is the caramel. If you cook the caramel for too long it will be tough. It’s also quite easy to burn caramel. Just follow the directions for the caramel, and you’ll do fine.
Let me encourage you in your cooking and baking endeavors. Each winter I teach a cooking class to kids ages twelve and up. My students this year, most of whom had never cooked, made this recipe. They did a phenomenal job. There was no burned caramel. The kids all cooked it beautifully. If they can do it, and I can do it, you can do it too.
Millionaire’s shortbread is a special treat that lives up to its name. Make it for your family, your friends, your neighbors, or anyone who could use some happiness. Chocolate and caramel are always a winning combination.
Happy Eating!
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
Millionaire’s Shortbread
Shortbread Crust
¾ cup butter (softened)
⅓ cup sugar
1 ⅓ cup flour
Caramel
½ cup butter
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons regular pancake syrup
Chocolate
1 ½ cups dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with foil or parchment and leave enough over the edges to create a sling. This will make it easy to take it out of the pan and cut into bars.
3. Make the shortbread crust:
Mix the butter, sugar, and flour with a spoon until small crumbs form. Press evenly into the bottom of your pan.
Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Cool completely before adding caramel.
4. Make the caramel:
In a medium saucepan place butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and syrup. Heat everything on low heat until the butter melts. Then turn up the heat to medium/medium high & bring it to a boil. Stir continually. (Be careful because caramel can burn easily) Once it’s at a boil, turn down to a simmer and stir continually until caramel turns an amber color & is slightly thickened. Turn off the heat & immediately pour hot caramel over the cooled crust. Cool before adding the chocolate.
5. Melt the chocolate:
Combine the chocolate and butter in an oven safe glass bowl. Melt in the microwave for 90 seconds total. Stop every 30 second and stir the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate over the caramel layer. Let it set up completely before cutting.
Optional: top with sea salt.
Notes:
*Make the crust and cool completely before you make the caramel. If not, the crust will tear when you add the caramel.
*If the caramel gets little brown bits, it’s OK, it will still taste good.
*Place the shortbread in the refrigerator between layers to speed up cooling.
You can read this article at the link below, and get all of my recipes on Mustard Seed Sentinel. Go to More and scroll down to Meghan’s Corner.
https://www.mustardseedsentinel.com/post/meghan-s-corner-millionaire-s-shortbread
Today you have been given a gift. The gift of time. There are 1440 minutes in your gift. You and I get this precious gift of time, each and every day.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24, ESV
God made our days and He numbered them.
Lord, reveal to me the end of my life
and the number of my days.
Let me know how short-lived I am.
You, indeed, have made my days short in length,
and my life span as nothing in Your sight.
Yes, every mortal man is only a vapor.Selah Psalm 39:4-5, HCSB
How much time do we waste each day? I don’t believe the goal is to fill every single minute with non-stop activity. We’ve all got necassary day-to-day duties that are unavoidable. Sleep takes up a certain amount of our hours. Work. Other daily responsibilities like cooking, errands, caring for our families, and a long list of daily tasks fill our routines. And yes, there should be a little down time each day, to recharge your batteries.
A person’s days are determined;
you have decreed the number of his months
and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5, NIV
So, if God ordained our days, and He ordained our lives, then He knows we have normal routine stuff that needs to take place. He also has ordained big and small events in our lives every day; that give us opportunities to make a difference for His Kingdom.
This is not the Carpe Diem trendy thinking of our culture. Seize the day is associated with self. Go for it. Take everything you can from each day. This type of thinking says the day is yours. As Christians, each day is a gift from the Lord that He made, and it’s not all ours for the taking.
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, NIV
God has Kingdom work for us to accomplish. And we need Him to do what He’s called us to. Maybe you don’t know your specific calling yet. Start asking God what He has you here for. Each of us has a unique purpose. In the meantime, look for daily small moments to share the love of Jesus. Working hard to provide for your family matters. Cooking a meal for your family is loving. Going to the grocery store and getting food and other essentials is important. We’re human and we need food. Being kind to the checker at the store. Helping an elderly shopper with reaching an item. (Maybe after the covid19 6 feet away craziness is over.)
There are moments each day that we can make a difference. Praying for someone, sharing the Gospel, helping a neighbor. Giving a friend a ride. Listening to your children’s ideas and hopes. Encouraging your spouse. Forgiving that person you’ve been holding a grudge against. Love God. Love your family. Love strangers you cross paths with. Love your annoying neighbor.
These are not easy on our own. They are impossible in our own abilities. We need filled up before we can overflow with the love of Christ.
Yesterday is the past. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have today.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34, NIV
We are all very aware we’ve got enough to deal with today. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. We are supposed to live in today. We can still make plans, and pray about future events, and circumstances. But, we are to leave those at Jesus feet and get on with our day. I know, that’s super difficult. At least for me it is.
Give each day the care it deserves. It may not be flashy but it is a gift from the Lord. Every day is not some thrill ride. Many days can be mundane and quite ordinary, but God ordained them. Thank Him for each day.
Thank God on the good days.
Thank God on the awful days.
Thank God every single day. He made it just for you.
Is Jesus Christ your Savior? Today would be a great day to accept His free gift of salvation. Tomorrow is not guaranteed.
Love you all,
Meghan
Go to my contact page and email me if you need prayer.
Do you ever wish there was a reset button in life? Things are just going downhill and it sure would be nice to start over again. There is good news for you. Today, right now, you can start again. Each day is a fresh start. A gift from the Lord. He knew we needed beginnings and endings, each and every day. Doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem or issue disappears the next day, but it can mean a renewal of your attitude and faith.
22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV
I can’t help but think of Chuck Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship, when needing a restart comes to mind. Chuck was one of President Nixon’s right hand men, and went to prison for his involvement in Watergate. Chuck met Jesus and accepted Him as Savior, and eventually started a world renowned prison ministry. That’s a spectacular fresh start. Only God would do something so magnificent with something so ugly.
Moses had a few fresh starts during his life. He flees Egypt after killing an Egyptian who had beaten one of his fellow Hebrews. Moses then becomes a shepherd and starts a new life in the desert. Years later God talks to Moses from a burning bush. God tells Moses that he’s sending him to Pharoah to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 3) That is a historic fresh start. Definitely a hard job, that changes the course of history.
Moses was not asking for that fresh start. God had other plans. Sometimes we think everything is going fine. Like Moses, maybe we want to hide out in the desert and give ourselves a fresh start. But God shows up and surprises us. God always has a purpose and a plan for each and every one of us.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NASB
Is there a destructive habit that needs to stop in your life?
Maybe there’s an ugly attitude.
Is there a strain in one of your significant relationships? Marriage, kids, family, friends.
Do you need to forgive someone?
Do you need to apologize and ask for forgiveness?
I’m not suggesting you can instanly fix everything. Only God can change hearts, minds, and attitudes. And time travel is not an option to go back and make changes.
The one thing you can change is you.
Your fresh start begins the moment you surrender it all to Jesus. It takes humilty to lay it at the Lord’s feet and ask for His help.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10, NIV
Every single moment is an opportunity to start again.
If you’ve never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, you can change that right now, today. God is drawing you to Jesus.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. John 6:44, NIV
If you need a fresh start, it begins right now. You can choose.
Love you all,
Meghan
P.S. If you need prayer please go to my contact page and send me an email.
Meghan E White 