It is someone special’s birthday! Their above-all favorite cake is Berry Chantilly Cake from Whole Foods.
Someone whom I love very much texted me and asked if I would make a gluten-free, dairy-free version of Berry Chantilly Cake for the Birthday celebration (for those at the party who have dietary restrictions).
My immediate “blink” reaction which I texted back was: “Absolutely!”
After which, my second reaction (which went through my head) was: What on earth is a Berry Chantilly Cake? I’ve never had one before? I have no idea what a Berry Chantilly Cake even is.
Thankfully there was AI to the rescue! AI filled me in on what a Berry Chantilly Cake is. Sounds yummy!
Can AI also provide a recipe for a gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free version of Berry Chantilly Cake?? Yes!
Within seconds AI had returned a recipe for a gluten-free, dairy-free, refined-sugar-free Berry Chantilly Cake. Fantastic! Let’s do this!
Armed with my grocery list, I headed out to the grocery store to collect the items for my imitation Berry Chantilly Cake. Here we have not-flour “flour” … not-sugar “sugar” … and not-milk “milk.”
Evidently, according to AI, Almond Extract is the crucial ingredient in Berry Chantilly Cake to achieve the distinctive signature flavor. Got it!
Also, here we have berries! Not sure how many I need, but if it’s a Berry Chantilly Cake it seems logical that we would need lots of berries! Got it!
And here we have non-dairy “Whipping Cream” … how is that even a thing! This blows my mind! I had no idea such a thing even existed! And … we have non-diary “Cream Cheese” … how is that even a thing either! My mind is double-blown! According to AI, the distinctive signature flavor of the frosting is dependent on mascarpone cheese. AI informed me that if at all possible, I would want to use dairy-free Cream Cheese to achieve a similar flavor. Got it!
And of course we have non-sugar “Confectioner’s Sugar” … and the frosting’s crucial ingredient for the distinctive signature flavor – Almond extract!
As you can probably tell by now, most of my ingredients are not “real.” I’ve never tasted the original Berry Chantilly Cake. I’ve never even seen the original Berry Chantilly Cake.
This makes me think how similar this is to what it is like trying to live a Christian life which imitates Jesus Christ.
When we repent of our sin and give our life to Jesus Christ, from that moment forward our goal and our purpose in life is to become like Jesus Christ.
But we have never actually seen Jesus personally. Just like I have never seen the original Berry Chantilly Cake.
We have never spent time with Jesus, personally with him being physically present with us. We have never had the opportunity to chat with Jesus and listen to his voice (in real life) teaching us and telling us how to respond in situations.
Trying to imitate Jesus Christ is a lot like trying to make a Berry Chantilly Cake with ingredients which are not “real.” Jesus is perfect. Jesus is God. Jesus has never done anything wrong … ever! Jesus has never messed up. Jesus has never made a mistake.
Ourselves, on the other hand, we are not perfect. We do things which are wrong. We mess up. We make mistakes. We are like the ingredients for my imitation cake … we aren’t exactly perfection.
But … I had a counselor helping me to make my imitation Berry Chantilly Cake. AI was my counselor. AI provided clear, detailed instructions for me to follow.
The instructions were gathered from different online sources, from people who had tasted a Berry Chantilly Cake before. These people knew what the signature ingredients were in order to achieve the distinctive signature flavor … because they had actually tasted the real genuine thing!
My counselor also knew how to convert the normal ingredients into ingredients which were gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar-free.
In the same way, when it comes to living a life which imitates Jesus Christ … we likewise have a Counselor – the Holy Spirit!
And … our Counselor, the Holy Spirit, has given us an instruction manual with clear, detailed instructions for how to imitate Jesus Christ – the Bible!
The Holy Spirit used human authors to pen the words of the Bible. “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” – 1 Peter 1:21
The books of the New Testament were penned by men who had actually spent time with Jesus Christ when he was here on this earth (Matthew … Peter … John … James … Jude). They had watched Jesus’s example in normal everyday living. They had watched how he responded to different situations. These men had watched Jesus perform miracles.
They had “tasted” the original (so to speak). They knew what the genuine, original looked like … and tasted like.
And they wrote about it … so that we could know too!
And so, in my own kitchen, prepared with my instructions … and my “not real” ingredients … I had everything I needed to make a Berry Chantilly Cake for the Birthday Extravaganza!
Likewise, when it comes to living a life which imitates Jesus Christ … we have everything we need!
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.” – 2 Peter 1:3
I set to work and made the two round cake layers.
While the cake layers cooled, I set to work and made the berry sauce for the filling. (this was basically just fresh berries, maple syrup, and a bit of thickening … simmered until thickened … then cooled).
Next, I whipped up the non-dairy “Whipping Cream” … adding the non-dairy “Cream Cheese” and the Almond Extract for the crucial distinctive, signature flavor. This whipped cream was to be the frosting for the cake.
This is what living the Christian life is like. It’s a process. There are different components. We have to put some effort into it.
We work on one area of holiness in our life (similar to making the cake layers) … then that area needs to “cool” a bit … and we turn our attention to another area of our life which needs some work (similar to the berry sauce for the filling).
Then while that area of our life is “cooling” (so to speak) … we turn our attention to yet another aspect of our life.
For example – the “cake” layer we work on first might be humility. “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus … he humbled himself.” – Philippians 2:5, 8
Then when that is “cooling” we turn our attention to working on the “berry filling layer” – or, being kind and compassionate towards each other. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
Then, when that is “cooling” we turn our attention to working on the “whipped cream frosting layer” – or, forgiveness. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord Jesus Christ forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13
The Almond Extract is the crucial ingredient for the distinctive, signature flavor of Berry Chantilly Cake.
When it comes to having a life which imitates Jesus Christ … there is likewise a crucial ingredient for the distinctive, signature “flavor.”
Love.
Jesus speaking: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34-35
“Be imitators of God … and live a life of love, just as Jesus Christ loved us.” – Ephesians 5:1-2
I had the cake layers ready.
I had the berry sauce filling ready.
I had fresh sliced berries ready.
I had the whipped cream frosting ready.
Now … to assemble the cake.
Let’s put it all together!
I placed the cake base on the plate. (we could think of this as putting down our base-layer of humility in our life)
Then, per my instructions, I spread a layer of whipped cream frosting. (we could think of this as adding on some forgiveness in our life)
Then, per the instructions, I added some berry sauce filling. (we could think of this as adding some kindness and compassion in our life) Looking good!
My instructions said to add fresh sliced berries on next … then another layer of whipped cream.
Ok … here we go. (the fresh sliced berries could represent joy in our life … then another layer of forgives towards others)
My instructions then said to add the second cake layer. Here goes …
Oh No!!! The weight of second cake made all the layers squish out all over the place! Oh dear!!!
It doesn’t look perfect at all. (I’ve never seen the original … but I’m sure that’s not what it looks like!) Oh dear! What am I going to do??
Isn’t this right here what it feels like as we try to imitate Jesus Christ? We aren’t perfect. We “squish out all over the place” (so to speak).
But the thing is … we’re trying!
We’re putting the work in. We’re doing our best.
I did the best that I could with my imitation Berry Chantilly Cake. I “camouflaged” the mistakes from where everything squished out all over the place. I covered it all over with frosting.
Well, the frosting certainly isn’t perfect. And I have no idea what the finished berry topping on the original looks like … so I’ll just put all these berries to good use and cover the whole top with fresh berries!
I showed up at the Birthday Extravaganza and the very first thing I did (after giving hugs to those I love!) was to go to the kitchen and take a peek at what a genuine, authentic original Berry Chantilly Cake looks like.
Whoa … isn’t it beautiful! It’s perfect! (it’s not messy like mine is)
On the journey to the Birthday Extravaganza, my imitation Berry Chantilly Cake had a bit of trouble in the cooler as it made the journey. The top layer of the cake slid partially off the bottom layer. Oh dear! (Haha!)
I used a large pancake turner and just pushed the whole top layer back on top of the cake. Then we cut the cake and enjoyed it for the party!
Much to my astonishment … my imitation Berry Chantilly Cake tasted almost identical to the real genuine one! I was shocked! The flavor was almost exactly the same!
My ingredients weren’t “real.”
My imitation cake was “messy” … and it had “mistakes.”
My imitation cake didn’t look perfect … at all.
But … it tasted real. It tasted almost like the real thing.
This right here is what it looks like to live a life that imitates Jesus Christ. Our life will be “messy” … and we will make mistakes. Our Christian life won’t look perfect … at all.
But is the “flavor” of our life the same as Jesus??
Do we have the distinctive, signature “almond-flavored cake layers” of humility?
Do we have the “sweet berry sauce filling layer” of kindness and compassion?
Do we have “fresh sliced berries” of joy?
Do we have the distinctive, signature “almond-flavored whipped cream frosting layer” of forgiveness?
If you would like to live a life which imitates Jesus Christ you can! You have a Counselor to help you … the Holy Spirit! And he has provided clear detailed instructions … the Bible!
Not only that … he will supply the “ingredients” for you!
The Holy Spirit will supply you with the love of Jesus!
The Holy Spirit will supply you with humility … with kindness … with compassion … with joy … with forgiveness, etc. … Everything you need to have a life which imitates Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit can help you with!
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.” – 1 John 3:16
“Be imitators of God … and live a life of love, just as Jesus Christ loved.” – Ephesians 5:1-2
