Salad dressing

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him. And the people feared the LORD. Then Haggai, the LORD's messenger, gave this message of the LORD to the people: "I am with you," declares the LORD. So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God. Haggai 1:12-14

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

The visual image of shaking up a bottle of salad dressing was mentioned in a recent session of our Wednesday morning Bible study. Upon the suggestion of another Bible study member, I decided to write a devotion on this theme. In delving further into this, I discovered there are several verses that use the word “stir” when referencing an attitude or action one needs to take. I’ve listed some of them above.

As mentioned in our study conversation, we allow God to “settle to the bottom”, like the ingredients in, for example, Italian salad dressing. The “good stuff” settles to the bottom. So, following this analogy, we need to “shake ourselves up”, getting the goodness of God back into our lives.

Shared by a friend in our study: Shake the bottle so that once again God is mixed up in everything you do. All your thoughts, all your words, all your entertainment, all your attitudes... everything that you do. And through this you are also sharing God with others.

So the next time you feel a bit sluggish in your faith, shake yourself up by stirring God back into your life… think of that jar of salad dressing sitting on the shelf with the seasoning settled to the bottom of the bottle. When you shake the bottle up, all the ingredients mix together and then the dressing can add flavor to a salad. In the same way, we can stir ourselves up and be useful in furthering God’s kingdom. That may mean prayer time you’ve neglected, fellowship with other Christians, reading God’s word, studying God’s word, sharing His love with others…I’m certain you can think of your own ways to “shake” God’s goodness into your life.

Prayer: Dear Lord, sometimes I’m just like the stagnant dressing on the shelf, my life separated by my own thoughts and pursuits, and your spiritual goodness. Help me to remember to stir your Word and teachings back into my life, so that I may share You with others. Amen.

Donna Gustafson (with the help of the Wednesday Bible study members!)