Pecan Pie Cookies – Jesus Saves. (Romans 10:9)
By now, anyone who knows me or has followed my blogs and newsletters knows that many of the ideas for my cookie creations are born from southern desserts I grew up with. Pecan pie is one of those. There’s really nothing like the taste of crunchy pecans mixed with the subtle, caramel-like flavor of pecan-pie filling inside of a flaky, buttery-tasting pie crust.
I remember to this day the very first time I tried to make a pecan pie many years ago. (Notice I said, “tried.”) It was a disaster! I followed the recipe exactly – each listed ingredient, carefully measured and blended as directed, then poured into the pie crust and baked at the temperature and time specified. I was waiting on that pie to cook with great anticipation, my mouth watering, so excited to share with my family what I had made. However, when the timer beeped and I opened the oven door and started pulling out that pie, it looked like a bunch of pecans floating in a bowl of heavy brown soup! It sloshed and jiggled as I freed it from the oven. I was soooo disappointed. All my efforts, following the prescribed steps for the perfect result, failed to measure up. All my work just wasn’t good enough, and neither was the recipe.
That’s the way many believe they’ll get into heaven when they die – that following an established set of man-made rules, plus one’s own efforts and good works, will be enough to allow them to spend eternity in heaven with a holy and righteous God. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth. After all, when is “good” ever good enough? How will you ever know if your hard work is sufficient? Romans 3:23 says, “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (emphasis mine). This means that every single person in the world is a sinner. Psalm 51:5 says, “Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” This means we are sinners from the moment of conception. This happens because of the first sin that was committed in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, and that sin nature is passed down to all who have come into the world after them. Additionally, James 2:10 tells us that if we have broken just one commandment, then we are guilty of breaking all the commandments. Wow! Sounds like a no-win situation, doesn’t it? We’re born into sin, and we live our life as sinners.
So, the idea of being “good” is not now, nor will it ever be, enough. Like my first pecan pie that failed, even after carefully completing each step of the recipe as written, there is no prescribed formula we can follow that will guarantee us a perfect result, that is, to make us worthy of eternal life in heaven, no matter how many people or religions on earth tell you otherwise. If we try, failure is certain.
Think about it. Why would Jesus, the one and only Son of God, leave heaven to live on earth as one of us, and then allow himself to be brutally tortured, ridiculed, mocked, betrayed, and heinously murdered if we could get into heaven on our own? He wouldn’t have. Here’s the thing, though. He knew we would never be able to have eternal life in heaven without His intervention, so He offered himself as a sacrifice for us because only He was qualified for the job. Such a sacrifice required someone who was sinless, someone who was perfect in every way. Jesus is the only person who ever lived who measured up to this standard. He did the work for us because He knew we would never be able to. Now, that’s love! God made a way for us, but it’s up to us to choose that way or reject it. There are only two options available to us when we die – heaven or hell. Which will you choose?
Don’t miss out on the greatest gift there is to receive in this entire world – eternal salvation! Jesus made it easy for us. According to John 3:16, “ . . . everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (heaven).” However, John 3:18 warns us, “ . . . anyone who does not believe is already condemned (hell), because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God.” (parenthetical comments mine)
Friend, a relationship with God is the single most important decision you will ever make in your life. The only way to have that relationship is through His Son, Jesus Christ, by admitting you’re a sinner and asking Jesus to forgive you and save you. Not only will you be guaranteed a home in heaven with Him, but God will be with you throughout the rest of your life, in both good times and bad, and “will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19). He has promised never to leave you or forsake you once you invite Jesus into your heart and life. Your destiny is sealed by His blood, and no one and nothing can ever change that.
As you enjoy a Pecan Pie cookie, think about how good and loving God is to send His only Son to be sacrificed for us so we could live forever in heaven with Him, and then share this message (and a cookie) with someone who could use this great news!
