Genesis 1:12 – And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (NKJV)

One morning, I opened the jars of spices — cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger — to make gingerbread. Inhaling carefully, I closed my eyes as I tried to visualize God's purpose for His creation of spice-bearing plants and trees throughout the world. As the wonderful fragrances of the open jars diffused throughout the kitchen, I imagined camels silhouetted against the sky, trudging along the spice trade routes of antiquity to faraway and exotic places. That God created the vegetation to produce these flavourful and aromatic spices for our enjoyment and use shows that fragrance and taste are an important component to life. In His infinite wisdom, He knew that elements of cuisine from all nations could draw people together and be a binding agent to honour Him.

Now inspired to make gingerbread kid cookies for my family — especially the great-grandchildren — I got busy. Bringing order to the ingredients, I eventually pulled cookie sheets of molasses-brown boys and girls out of the oven. While I decorated each cookie, I prayed for the recipient. I knew that I was sending the gingerbread kids on a special mission — but they didn't know it. Filled with yummy flavours and aromas, with the overarching love of Christ going before them, these gingerbread cookies were a product of God's love, sent from me, to others.

My daughter-in-law was the first to call me for the recipe. She wanted to make more to share with her neighbourhood that was being overwhelmed by the Omicron variant. The great-grands wanted their moms to make some for their friends. Like the familiar ripple effect, God's love, spice, and everything nice, was being spread out to others. Any gift that we bring, motivated by our love for Him, provides an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel with others.

The spicy gingerbread kids were sent as a gift of love, but only Christ has the potential to unite the planet, because He offers a greater love and salvation to everyone. As Christians, we share His fragrance of love and sacrifice to others. Spices are a means to explode Christ's aroma of victory over sin and death throughout the world. Can you think of a spiced product that you might share in the name of Jesus? The offer of a spice gift may be one way to begin a conversation about creation. When we get creative, we will find innumerable ways that we can share God's love with others.

Prayer: Dear Father, we thank You for Your creation of spices. From the kindnesses that You show us, may we give something made from the spice cupboard of Your creation. May all gifts be given to Your honour and glory. Amen.

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About the author:

Karen Milam <karenbmilam@gmail.com>
Penn Valley, California, USA
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