Home Cooking for Body and Soul Lesson #8--Apple of God's Eye

Home Cooking for Body and Soul

Lesson #8—Apple of God’s Eye

Dinner: Crock Pot Applesauce chicken, rice, & salad (see below)

Verses: Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8; Proverbs 7:2; Zechariah 2:8

What does it mean when someone says, “He’s the apple of my eye? “Apple of my eye” usually refers to someone who is very special, very important—in fact, the most important and special person in the world—someone you would do anything for.

Can you believe that God sees us as the apples of His eye? We are very important and special to Him. Let’s look to the Bible to see exactly how much God loves us.

Deuteronomy 32:10 God finds us in our “desert” and draws us to Him. We become the apple of His eye. We are a precious object in need of being watched over and God gives us that tender-loving care.

Psalm 17:8 We have an instinct to protect our eyes. God instinctively cares for and loves us.

Proverbs 7:2 We guard our eyes from harm the best we can. Just as it is instinct to protect our eyes, we should protect/guard the wisdom God gives us in His Word. He cares for us so much that He gave us His law to protect us.

Zechariah 2:8 We are extremely important to God. Just as our eye would be hurt if someone touched it, so God is hurt when we are “touched” (harmed). He protects us so as to not bring harm to us or Himself.

Isn’t it great knowing how much we mean to God. He loves us so much that we are like part of His body—literally. We are part of the body of Christ when we give our lives to Him, but God cares so much about us that we are always part of His body. He grieves when His “body” is hurting. He grieves when His “body” is damaged. Let’s treat His commands as precious as He treats us. Protect His Word. Live His Word as our own.

Money-saving tip: Buy cheap and preserve. When things are in season or on sale for a really good price, then buy lots and preserve it either through freezing, canning, or dehydrating. Even if you only have the freezer on top of your refrigerator, you can still freeze lots if you freeze in ziplock bags laid flat.

Health tip: Make sure you get your daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. Add a salad to your meal. Use fruit in your meal. Whatever you need to do to up your intake, try to do it and your body will thank you!

CrockPot Applesauce Chicken

Ingredients:

4 frozen chicken breasts or thighs 1 1/2 cups applesauce

1 T dried onion flakes or 1 yellow onion finely chopped

1 T apple cider vinegar 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

Put frozen chicken pieces into your crockpot (3 or 4 qt would work best). If using fresh onion, but it on top of chicken pieces. If using dried onion flakes, mix them with the applesauce, vinegar, and spices. Pour on top of chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours or on high for 3-4.

Serve with rice or quinoa.

serves 4

Fruit Crisp

6 cups sliced, peeled apples (or peaches or pears)

1 T lemon juice 1 cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup flour 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cloves

1/3 cup cold butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-qt casserole dish. Place the prepared fruit into the dish and sprinkle lemon juice over them. Set them aside. In a bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves. Cut in butter until crumbly. Scatter over the fruit. It will cover them thicly. Bake for 40 minutes.

Serves 6