In that article, I used an example of a recipe I had received for peanut butter cookies that had no flour, baking powder or baking soda, things which are always included in cookie recipes. However, I received four responses from ladies who testified that it really was a complete recipe; it really worked, and it was really good. Two even sent me their recipe with slight variations. Well, I kind of had a "Doubting Thomas" moment about the cookies, but I promised them I would try them anyway.

Last night, my wife was working late. It was just the dog and me at home. So I baked peanut butter cookies. I have to tell you that I was really unprepared for the results. It is not the way my momma made cookies. I didn't think it would work at all. I mixed up the ingredients according to the recipe — just the four of them — and stuck them in the oven and didn't look at them for a few minutes. I was prepared to see little melted globs of sugar on the cookie sheet and quite unprepared to see anything that resembled a real peanut butter cookie. However, I am willing to admit that I was completely wrong with my preconceived assumptions. What came out of the oven was almost impossible to tell from a peanut butter cookie made with a traditional cookie recipe. It wasn't the way my momma did it, but it was correct anyway.

Jesus had, and still has, a similar problem with people and their acceptance of his teaching. The Pharisees and religious leaders rejected him and his teachings because they went against the "traditions of the fathers." It didn't really matter that the Old Testament Scriptures foretold him and everything he did. It really didn't matter that he did miracles that no mortal man could do. They had preconceived assumptions about what was the right way to serve God based upon what their Fathers had believed and done in the past. They assumed that if they believed that Jesus was who he said he was, then they were saying that their fathers and their traditions and their core beliefs were wrong. They were unwilling to do or believe anything that questioned what they had been taught. Because of that, they missed the Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, the Hope of glory.

OK, what's the point?

I am examining my preconceived assumptions.

I'm not trying to tell you that you need to change what you believe or think because of anything I write. I'm just asking that you don't live your life based upon preconceived assumptions. Just because it's not the way your momma or papa did it doesn't mean it's wrong. God and his words are the basis of judgment (John 12:48-49). Jesus, the one anticipated by the Scriptures, is the only source of life (John 5:39-40). We don't want to be the people Jesus talks about at the end of the Sermon on the Mount when he says:

Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?" Then I will declare to them, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers." (Matthew 7:21-23 NRS)

The Power of Praying Together by Stormie Omartian & Jack Hayford More than just a "how to" book, this book will help us to discover that when we are willing to link our hearts with others before God, we open ourselves up to a wider, more interactive world of prayer.

Russ Lawson is a former missionary to Africa and minister in Ohio. He now works with World Christian Literature Outreach and writes a weekly email devotional, Messages from the Heart. For more information about Russ, click here.

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