Be ALL God Wants

I love The Cheesecake Factory!!  The first time I ever went to this amazing restaurant (which, by the way, has a menu that resembles a novel) was in sunny, southern California.  I will never forget eating outside on a beautiful terrace with my parents and our two small children…one in a high chair…the other a toddler.  I remember the sun was beating down on the highchair with a metal tray!  Yep!  Metal tray!!  What were we thinking back in the day???  Anyway….our poor Brandon burned his poor little baby hands and the experience was less than perfect.

We now live about five minutes from one (and Brandon no longer requires a highchair)!!  Yep, really close and you can be jealous…but you must now stop and confess your sin.  Anyway….it’s too bad it costs way too much for us to go very often…but when we have a really special occasion or when someone generously gives us a gift card…we are there!!

My absolute favorite thing to get there is the Factory Chopped Salad!!  It is amazing! NOT, and hear me on this, NOT the skinnylicious version!  It is NOT the same nor is it as good.

Look at these pictures!! 

It has lettuce, bacon, tomatoes, avocado, corn, apples, chicken and it is then all mixed up with an amazing balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Oh the dressing!!  I LOVE IT!  Makes me want to go out right now to the Cheesecake Factory and get one!!  If It wasn’t snowing outside and if the wind wasn’t blowing a zillion miles an hour and if I had lots of extra money, (and yes, I’d still go in my sweats) I would go and get one of those salads right now!!  Did I mention there is one five minutes from where I live??

Soooo…each delicious, yummy ingredient is super good all by themselves….I could easily eat a bunch of bacon or an apple or serving of corn, etc. but with the ingredients all mixed together…it is SO much better!! 

What’s my point torturing us all with this yummy salad and even mentioning the word cheesecake??  In the last post I wrote about BE all God wants.  Today I want to look at the ALL part of that statement!

Be ALL God wants. 

The Factory Chopped Salad would not be all it could be if it were only made with lettuce.  ALL of the ingredients make it amazing.  We need ALL He has for us!!  Not just a part of what He has for us!!!

He is the one who mixes ALL of the right ingredients together so that I can be ALL He wants!!  HE does it!!!  I am simply the large bowl who takes it all in and serves to those who want it!!!

We KNOW that we cannot be ALL God wants in our own strength.  Impossible.  Notta. No way.

In 1 Thessalonians 5—Paul lists things we are to ‘be’—the ingredients per se (or is it per say??!).  Take a look at them when you get a chance.

Then in verse 24 he says this!!  “He is faithful to make it happen”!!  God is faithful to make ALL we are to be happen!!  He does it!

Jeremiah 32:27  Behold, I am the Lord….is anything too difficult for me?

Philippians 4:13—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

As I think about that Factory Chopped Salad…it occurs to me that I left out an ingredient!!  I don’t want them to put in the blue cheese.  I don’t like blue cheese.  I nicely ask them to please substitute the blue cheese with mozzarella cheese.

Do I do that with God?  Ask Him to please substitute what I don’t like with what I do like???  I like the rejoicing and encouraging….but I’d like to cut the ingredient that requires me to be admonished!! 

Lord help us to not be afraid to be ALL you want!!!!  Forgive me for picking and choosing as if Your will and Your Word was a buffet or a salad bar!!

Forgive me Lord!!!