Do you have a favorite recipe? Perhaps it’s a family recipe, and the ingredients are a well-kept secret. The first time you prepared the dish you examined the recipe like a map to a hidden treasure, precisely measuring the amounts of each item. You knew the combination of the ingredients would result in something delicious.

In some ways, our lives are like a recipe. The difference is that there are no secret ingredients. It begins with a faith in Jesus Christ. Peter, a follower of Jesus and one of the leaders of the Church, gave us some ingredients for an even better, more fulfilling life in Christ. Here’s his recipe for an effective and productive life:

• Begin with a personal relationship with Jesus.
• Add goodness and an equal amount of knowledge.
• Stir in self-control and perseverance.
• Combine with godliness and a pinch of mutual affection.
• Mix thoroughly and bake with an abundance of love.

God does not expect us to become instantly perfect in the qualities listed by Peter, but he tells us that we can “possess these qualities in increasing measure.” Growing in these areas because of our relationship with Jesus is the best recipe for a productive life.

Reflect:

• Which characteristic in this list is an area in which God wants to help you grow?
• What is one way you have grown in your relationship with Jesus since you started following Him?