Rice, in many cultures and cuisines is regarded as an essential food and versatile to work into a menu whether as an appetizer, main course or dessert. With an estimate of about 40,000 varieties and thousands of dishes across the globe, rice can be described as the "tabula rasa" of food: a clean slate for the manipulation of the Chef into whatever meal is desired. One notable thing about every rice dish and perhaps every other type of food is the fact that these dishes are named after the point of origin, ingredient used or method applied in cooking.
This explains why a restaurant can only correctly address the type of rice on its menu by referring to the rice with respect to its origin (e.g jollof rice), ingredient used (e.g coconut rice) or cooking method applied (e.g fried rice). In some cases, the ingredient used and the method of cooking are fused to form the name of the rice dish like "Asun Fried Rice"
I made Asun Fried Rice recently; to make this rice dish, asun (roasted spicy goat meat cuts) is first prepared then combined with vegetables and rice that has been boiled preferably in goat meat stock. This mixture is given a good stir over heat making it impossible to scoop any portion of rice not smelling, tasting like and accompanied by asun.
Making this meal made me understand better what it means to be born again.
Just like rice cooked with asun or any sort of ingredient, any man who comes to Christ has been cooked with Him. The Bible speaking in Romans 6:4 says
"By our baptism, then, we were buried (ingrafted, cooked in) with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.
We took up a new nature from our merger with Christ: just like plain rice ingrafted into ingredients, become a whole new meal and is called by a name that ties its identity to that mixture, same is the case of any man that comes to Jesus. Such a man becomes new, for it is written "if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ, he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
The description of any life cooked with Christ is "Newness", our old labels have been rendered useless. For the mere fact of being soaked into Christ, we are new. By the reason of our identification in Jesus by making our abode in Him through his death and resurrection, you are NEW. You should not be identified outside of the newness which is binding on you because of the ingredient "Jesus Christ".
Because of this newness, we are ambassadors for Christ and God is pleading to the world through us. This newness and freshness we've received is not merely for ourselves, it is so we can implore others on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.
Dear Reader, today I urge you, be reconciled to God. Regardless of your moral standing and spiritual position, there is freshness available for you in Christ Jesus. Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.
You've been your old self for such a long time, please have a taste of something new.
As rice is more satisfying when combined even so is life, if in Christ Jesus.
Peace🙏
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