“Starship…” (by Mel McGuire)

During the most recent installment in the Star Trek franchise, “Star Trek – Beyond”, there came a point when a Federation Starship needed to take off from the ground.

Captain Kirk, a great leader who never seems to concern himself with how his commands were accomplished, told his crew essentially to “figure it out”.

He was promptly reminded that the ship was a starship…it was built in space, and was never intended to operate anywhere other than space…among the stars. Thus the name, starship.

My spirit sang with instant revelation! We are like that starship. We were created to operate in a certain atmosphere. Without giving away any spoilers for the film, the ship was able to operate without being in space, but it was limited and could not reach its full potential or utilize all of its ability.

Their goal was to simply get it back in space…where it was created and designed to operate. The bible teaches us that as children of the Kingdom of God, we are not of this world.

We were born here, we live here, but we were not created or designed to operate by this world’s system! When we became children of God, adopted by Him, and heirs to His kingdom, we are expected to operate by kingdom principles.

We CAN live in and by the world, but we will be limited and cannot achieve our full potential. Our goal should be to get back in the place where God intended for us to operate.

Only God can empower you to break free from the world’s desire to keep you earthbound. Like the starship needed to overcome the gravity of the planet in order to reach space, so too must we, break free from the constant downward pull of the world.

In space, time is measured differently. We talk about light years instead of miles per hour, for example. How often have we gotten frustrated with God because we are measuring his movement (or lack thereof) by worldly standards?

When in space, our perspective changes. We have all seen images from outerspace, courtesy of the space shuttle or satellites…how small does the earth appear when viewed from space?

How large do your problems seem while you are still earthbound? But from God’s perspective, if the earth is His footstool…how big are they really? Oh that we would remember who made us, and see things as He does…we are starships.

Get in the presence of God, allow Him to boost you up out of the influence of the gravity of this world. Allow Him to show you your proper place among the stars…where starships operate freely at full capacity and with full power. Be a starship.

“Chef…” (by Mel McGuire)

I enjoy baking. I sometimes use recipes that are already made up, like cake mix or cookie mix that only require that I add ingredients like eggs, water and oil. Whenever I bake, I have a mental image of what my finished product should look like, and more importantly (to me anyway), what it should taste like.

I am sure you have experienced a finished product that does not quite look like the picture on the box. I have decided that the pictures on the box were not made from the actual ingredients in the box because I have followed the directions without fail, and my cake still doesn’t look like the picture on the box.

I notice on television and print ads that hamburgers, tacos, burritos and other restaurant food look nothing like what they put on your plate unless…a chef has prepared it. The advertised picture may not even be real food! But when a chef has prepared it, it looks and tastes like the picture on the box!

When I go to a fast food place, I don’t even bother to question why my food looks nothing like the picture in the menu. I know the cook is not a chef, and it takes a chef to make it look and taste like the picture. My point is this; God is the Chef, we are merely cooks, and when He prepares you, you will look like the picture on the box.

God tells us in His word how we should appear to the world; A city on a hill, a light and an example, full of good works, a people blessed and to be envied. That is the picture on the box. He also lists the ingredients and gives us directions to follow, but we don’t let Him put everything in place at the right time, and we turn out looking (and tasting) different than the picture on the box.

Some of us are really good at looking good. But we don’t taste right, and we make people sick. Others don’t care how they look and have forgotten that a good meal should appeal to all the senses.

You can tell me a roach tastes like chocolate, but as long as it looks like a roach… I will do without chocolate! So it is with our relationship with God, if it doesn’t look good, others may never “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

A chef understands that making an appealing meal is not just mixing ingredients together. They understand the importance of presentation, which is why you usually don’t eat filet mignon off of paper plates. And when the presentation is right, the entire experience is enhanced, and you hear people say, “My compliments to the chef.”

God understands how to present you in the most appealing ways. He knows how and when you are ready to be put on display. Be patient. Let Him prepare you and you will see that He will get the glory for your life and your lifestyle.

You can be His picture on the box, prepared by the Master Chef, desired by the world and tasting like Christ. You will be genuine and others will learn that they too can be God’s advertisement, His picture on the box, if they will stop cooking and let God be the Chef.

“Crock Pot…” (Mel McGuire)

After eighteen years of marriage, I discovered the wonders of cooking with a crock pot.  I finally used one of our wedding gifts, which had been sitting dormant, waiting to be utilized. That is a message in and of itself, as the crock pot, while waiting to be called upon, never lost its purpose or ability.

It was ready to fulfill its design, even though I had ignored it until now. And since being called into service, it has performed faithfully, without fail. Do you have a dormant gift waiting to be used?

The beauty of the crock pot is slow cooking over (relatively) low heat, over an extended period of time. Because of the low heat, it does not require constant or even periodic monitoring. You simply add the ingredients, set the temperature, and LEAVE IT ALONE! While it is cooking, you can go do something else.

At the appointed time, you come back to it and your meal is ready to eat. It’s that simple. Crock pots are known for cooking up simple yet flavorful meals, with tender meats, juicy vegetables, and aromatic sauces. The quality of the outcome truly belies the quantity of the effort. That is what makes slow cooking so great…if you LEAVE IT ALONE!

I emphasize that because my early efforts took longer to get the desired results than the recipes called for. Upon further review, I learned my constant lifting of the lid, to check on the progress and the process, was adding more time to the situation. I had to wait longer, because I would not leave it alone.

There are things in our lives God has put in His crock pot. Years ago I asked God about getting married. I was still in college, and He told me not to ask for at least three years. I wasn’t ready yet.

Everything was in me, but I was in the slow cooker and my appointed time was still a ways off. That didn’t stop me from lifting the lid though, anytime (and every time?) I met, saw, or spent time with a sister, I lifted the lid.

Some of our dreams, callings, and ultimate purposes are in God’s crock pot. He is leaving them alone until the appointed time. He has placed all the ingredients in your life, He is allowing them to simmer, to cook slowly, mixing and merging, softening and flavoring.

He is sure what He placed in you, and He knows at the appointed time, when He takes the lid off of you, it will be perfect. A quality of outcome that belies the quantity of effort! Isn’t that what we want? Meanwhile, He is doing something else!

He uses our obedience, our faithfulness, our service, to serve as that slow cooker. These things give us a tender heart, add flavor to our ministry, and cause amazement at the simplicity and wonder of it all.

So don’t fret if He leaves the lid on for a little while longer. You may think you’re ready, you may want to be ready, but He wrote the recipe of your life and He knows when you are ready… and when the world is hungry for your gift.

So close the lid and leave it alone. He knows your appointed time, and when HE lifts the lid you will be tender, full of flavor, and the aroma of His anointing will fill the room!