Praise for Today — Good News about Love and Liars
Have you ever had someone who says they love God do something that shows a complete lack of love for you? How can people say they love God but do unloving things to people? I came across a verse in the Bible that explains this perfectly.
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar…” 1 John 4:20, NIV
Here is the question that has been with me constantly since I read and began pondering this message: How many people are rejcting God because a person calling themselves a Christian and claiming to love God did something unloving, perhaps even revealing deep hatred?” Remember, brother or sister means any person, not just family members. We are all brothers and sisters since God is the Creator of us all.
If this has happened to you, my purpose it not to leave you with this negative thought to ponder, thinking about this other person as a liar. I’m sharing this because this verse brings good news: You don’t have to reject the God of Heaven who created you and loves you beyond measure because of liars here on Earth.
My prayer: Lord, teach us to love.
I don’t want to be a lair. But I have said and done so many unloving things in my life. The thing is, I have a sin problem. Sometimes unloving thoughts, words, and deeds seep in. I pray for God’s grace to forgive me and stop this from happening in the future. If I look back on my life, the times I regret the most are those times I didn’t show enough love. How I wish I could go back in time and show more love. So I keep praying, Lord, teach me to love.
Recipe for Today — Creamy Potato Soup
Creamy potato soup ingredients (click to see larger image)
Creamy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces (1/2 inch cubes)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2-3 stalks of celery cut into small pieces
- ½ cup cashews
- 4 cups almond milk
- 3 Tbs cornstarch
- 3 Tbs chicken-style seasoning
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- 2 tsp granulated onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)
Steps
- Peel potatoes and cut into pieces
- In a large pot, add 2 Tbs olive oil, then add onions, carrots, and celery and sauté in the olive oil until soft (add a little water, maybe 1/8 cup, if needed to keep vegetables from burning)
- Add potatoes and enough water to barely cover the potatoes and other vegetables
- Bring to a boil and boil until veggies are just tender (10-15 minutes); don’t overcook or the soup will become mushy
- In a dry blender, add cashews and blend until fine/powdery
- Add almond milk and blend with cashews
- Add cornstarch and blend again
- Once vegetables have boiled long enough to be soft, pour the cashew/almond milk/cornstarch blend into the soup pot and turn heat to low
- Add seasons and stir continuously until thick and creamy. Do not boil or the soup will curdle
This recipe is adapted from Mary Bernt’s potato soup recipe in The Best of Veggies & Co. cookbook.