Biscuit Tidbits

Cutting out (semi)homemade biscuits this morning, I started to place them on the baking sheet, leaving spaces between. Then I remembered instructions I had read once for frozen biscuits: "Place with sides touching to rise higher." That struck a chord with me in regard to our everyday lives. We can rise to higher goals if we have the support and encouragement of others.  Standing shoulder to shoulder, so to speak, like the biscuits.

Singing a hymn in church by oneself is not as inspirational as hearing the blended voices of the whole congregation raised in praise and worship.  "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel," Psalm 22:3.  I believe it means the praises of the church, as well.

The Holy Spirit was given when Jesus' followers were in one accord. Acts 2:1 says, "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place."  This unity was the springboard of the church.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, they went on to do great things as recorded in the New Testament.

In Jesus' high priestly prayer for the disciples in John, verses 20-21 read, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; (21) That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they may also be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

While my biscuits were not one, they were one unit: a pan of biscuits.  They were not all alike.  Some were bumpy on the surface, some were not perfectly round, especially the one I put together from the left-over scraps of dough.  Some were even a little more brown, depending on where they were placed in the pan.  But by leaning on each other, they all rose high in the oven.

All Christians are not alike.  Some still  have their rough edges, some are a hodge-podge mixture from different teachings they have received.  Some are more mature than others according to their life experiences.  But Jesus prayed for us to be one in Him, as a witness to the world.

In Galatians 6:10, Paul refers to us as "the household of faith," or those professing the same religion. A household is a family, and families that stick together in love and support, both natural and spiritual, are more apt to achieve the heights God has planned for them.  And they are more appealing, too, like the biscuits!