Mock Apple Pie and Faith

To play along with an April Fools themed small group get together we went to, I baked a mock apple pie.  If you've never had a mock apple pie before, you really wouldn't believe how authentic it tastes. Ritz crackers are boiled in water, cream of tartar, and apple pie seasonings in lieu of the apples. When the apple-esque mixture emerges from the boiling pot, it lands safely in a traditional pie crust that's then topped with a decadent mix of crackers, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, etc. While this carb-loaded concoction bakes, a beautiful aroma of...you guessed it...baked apple pie fills the house. The finished product, while probably much worse for you than traditional apple pie is delicious; and, those boiled crackers, for whatever reason, pass as apples. The full recipe is here, incase you're so intrigued to learn more. The point of this post, though, isn't so much the apple pie. The pie got me thinking, though...

How often is our faith, our daily walk with Christ, like a mock apple pie? It's so easy to go through the motions. It's easy to sit through church services and maintain transparency with a smile and, "I'm just fine, thanks," while gradually removing ourselves from situations where that question may be continue to be asked.

Maybe you have excellent Bible knowledge and know all the hymns, but have no true heart for Christ. Maybe you're looking away from Christ in an effort to hold yourself up in un-Biblical ways while you hurt and try to heal "in your own time." Maybe you've removed yourself from all Christian circles - checking out of Bible reading, church, and prayer, too, because __fill in the blank with any number of excuses__. We are all sinners and, because of our sinful nature, I think we've all played the role of mock apple pie at one point. Some live in the darkness for brief moments of life and some live there for much longer...or eternally. After-all, if we tell ourselves that we're filled with apples long enough, we may start to believe that our crackers really are apples.

If your insides really aren't apples, yet crackers weakened by the elements and terribly out of place, it's time that you surrender to Christ for full restoration through repentance and faith. It's time that you gain accountability with your fellow believers and time that you begin relying on Him and only Him to be refined, transformed, and used for your intended purpose.

Matthew 6:19-21 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Living like a mock apple pie may appear easy and desirable, but may your heart's desire be the real thing.