I love homemade pizza. I love the entire process of making it. From the sauce, to the dough, to the cooking of the pizza in a pizza oven, to the final cut and enjoyed slice of pure, crispy, and cheesy goodness. I don’t know what it is about the process, but it seems to start with the smell–that wonderful smell–of the olive oil mixed together with and slowly sizzling in a skillet alongside the onions, the fresh garlic, the vine-ripe tomatoes, and the carefully selected spices that seem to just do all they can to heighten the senses.
And then there’s the dough. I am simply amazed how the combining of salt, flour, water, sugar, and yeast produce such marvelous works of art. Each ingredient is mixed and rolled out to a unique handcrafted concoction of pizza perfection. To some, this is science, but to me, this is art. The final shape is never the same, but the taste it delightfully consistent.
But the next step–after the pizza dough has been rolled out, and the sauce and toppings carefully stacked and situated–can bring the labor of love to a screeching stop, and land the beautiful endeavor in the unacceptable category of, “…well, at least it tastes good.”. The pizza oven–though wonderful and brilliant in its design–can become your pizzas greatest downfall–if you’re not careful.
There are many things to consider when using the pizza oven, but most important is the temperature. That is to say, the temperature of the oven, as well as the temperature of the pizza stone. To be distracted in the act of cooking the pizza is not a good thing.
I’ve messed up many a pizza by simply not minding the temperature. What a sad moment. But, I’ve also carefully regulated the temperature to produce some of the best and well-cooked pizzas that I’ve ever tasted. The effort and watchful eye that accompanied a finished product was always worth the investment. It’s a taste explosion!
…and that’s the heart of this article today. Often in life, we start into beautiful endeavors like New Year’s resolutions, Bible reading plans, leadership initiatives, books to read, etc., and then we get distracted…we don’t mind something as simple–yet important–as the temperature of our pizzas…
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
The heart of this article is to inspire those who are on the journey of reading their Bibles to continue down that path. What is it that will keep motivating you? What is it that will keep you opening your Bible? What is it that will cause you set aside the distractions of everyday life? What is it that causes you, after having prepped yourself to meet with God each day–like you would a beautiful pizza pie–not to continue? I believe it’s a matter of the heart. So, what keeps your heart burning for God’s Word? In other words, what is it that keeps you from being distracted and not minding the temperature of your heart?
“When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
Psalm 27:8
- Seek God’s Face. In other words, when you read, look for what moves God. Look for what motivates Him…what moves His hands…His heart. What does He respond to? What moves Him to act…both in the positive and the negative? Look for His character. Look to see how He loves…how and who He shows to compassion to. Look for the heart of God when you read.
- Guard your heart. Keith Green said one time at a concert… “Lord, you’ve got to do something about my heart…you know a lot of time has gone by since I met you…and it’s starting to harden up…it’s just kind of natural. I want to have baby-skin, Lord, I want to have skin like a baby on my heart. It’s starting to get old…and calloused. It’s not because anything I’m doing. It’s because of a lot of things I’m not doing…”. Keith is relating to every human as he said those words. In essence, all he is saying is what Robert Robinson said in his song, Come Thou Fount: “…Bind my wandering heart to Thee. Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above.”
- Remember, God loves you. Never forget that. Never ever forget that. As a follower of Christ, there is no amount of reading that will make God love you more. And there is no amount of not reading that will make God love you less. Never ever forget that, in Christ you have all the fullness of God. So, why should I stay consistent then to read God’s Word–to meet with Him everyday? This is the paradox of the Christian life. Though full, we are still hungry. We’re not in glory yet. And so, while we wait, we go to God through His Word and in prayer. We meet Him in His Word. We meet Him in faith. We meet Him through the power and discernment of His Spirit. We meet Him to make sense of the aches, the pains, the longings, the traps of success, and trials of tragedies. We meet Him for everyday life. And we’re changed.
Press on. Lean in. Mind the temperature of your heart…
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