What it Boils Down To
"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:3-5
It's maple syrup season here in New Hampshire and as I was tapping trees over the weekend it made me think back to the first time I made maple syrup… With hardly any exposure to how the process works I needed some guidance. I talked with some experienced friends and consulted the ever reliable Youtube for all the tools and tips I would need to be successful. The days began to climb above freezing and I knew it was time to begin. As I was preparing my sap buckets, spiles, and choosing which trees to tap, I couldn't help but sense apprehension and doubt within myself. Is this a good tree? Will it actually produce sap? Much to my relief, after drilling the first hole, sap started trickling down the bark of the mature maple tree. I was surprised, amazed and relieved all at once. I seemed to have the same feelings at every stage in the process. Will the trees produce enough sap? Will the sap really boil down into maple syrup? Will it taste any good? As I continued through the process I was encouraged to find that it went just as I was told it would and I successfully made my first batch of delicious maple syrup!
If we're honest, we all have doubts and apprehension about who God is and what he is like...Is God real? Does he love me? Does God really save sinners? Does He really transform lives? Can he really use me? I've found that as these doubts arrive, God gives us sweet assurances of his grace as we continue to press into him. He is true to his word. He WILL work in and through us if we believe and obey Him. My prayer is that we will no longer be surprised, but never cease to be amazed that we serve a loving God who saves sinners, transforms lives and uses ordinary people like you and me to accomplish his purposes in a broken world.