Banana Pudding Cookies – God is love. (1 John 4:8)
I’m a Southerner, and banana pudding is a staple dessert in most any Southern household and church potluck. Now, I’m not talking about the “cheat” version of today that’s made with vanilla pudding and whipped cream, then refrigerated (although very delicious). I’m referring to the old-fashioned kind that has meringue and has to be cooked, which was the way my grandmother made it. A lot more work, but worth every bite!
When I ate my grandmother’s banana pudding, it tasted like love. A bite of that sweet, warm, thick banana creaminess with the dense softness of vanilla wafer cookies felt like the love of my grandmother had been baked right in, and you could feel that love with every bite. Desserts like that have a way of making you feel all gushy, happy, and comfortable inside, for a little while anyway.
That’s how the love of God feels to me when I feast on His word in the bible and when I go to Him in prayer with a hunger for His sweet presence and love. However, on those days when I struggle to feel God’s presence or I haven’t received answer to prayer, I still know He loves me because His word tells me so. God’s love for us isn’t based on our feelings; it’s based on believing what He says in His word. We have this assurance in Romans 8:38-39, which says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Are you longing for real love in your life? Do the things you chase after no longer fulfill and satisfy you? Have others let you down? Our hope, our joy, and our peace were never meant to be provided by anything or anyone apart from Jesus Christ. Those things you’re pursuing and the people in your life don’t have the ability to meet your true needs. Only Jesus can do that. His well never runs dry. Others will disappoint, but He never will. That’s because God created us with a space in our hearts meant solely for Him and no one else. Do you want to know how much God loves you? Just look at the cross, where His one and only Son was crucified for you!
As you enjoy a Banana Pudding Cookie, think about how much you are loved by the only One who can save your soul, and go share that love (and a cookie) with others.
