The LONG process of refining and making maple syrup.

Seeking God is an effort of sacrifice and discovery. You probably have heard many sermons on Gideon’s fleece and how he tested God… but the reality the story is about how God was forming Gideon on his journey through seeking.  The pushing over of his father’s idols and the fleece without dew and fleece with dew was God working within the person of Gideon. God is refining his confidence and clarifying the future of having faith while living that faith… isn’t it true of you and me as well. God is working and building within us a new person that emerges from the depths of our heart.

God reveals himself according to our experience and in our experience God reveals himself to the world through you! Now Listen… that is a profound reality on our journey in the same direction of obedience. God is revealing himself in our experience and in our experience God reveals himself to world. Are you seeking God?

God is changing Gideon through his experiences… because if we read on in the text, Judges 7 reveals that Gideon puts together a great army and God rejects the army, and through a series of reductions, God reduces the army to 300 soldiers. Why? So that the world would know that ONLY GOD Could do this…only God could make this happen. God is working and reducing and refining and developing and revealing himself in the world in which you live.

Dr. David Osborn at Denver Seminary says, "Too often we try to use God to change our circumstances, while He is using our circumstances to change us." (Compass, April 2003) You see, God is right now in the process of making us like Christ.

Think of the process of refining maple syrup. Maple trees are tapped with buckets hung under the taps, and out drips a sap, which is thin and clear, like water. On a good day, 50 trees will yield 30-40 gallons of sap, but it is essentially useless at this point with only a hint of sweetness.

Then as the buckets fill, they are emptied into large bins that sit over an open fire. The sap comes to a slow boil; and as it boils, its water content is reduced and its sugars are concentrated. Hours later, it has developed a rich flavor and golden-brown color, but it must be strained several times to remove impurities before being reheated, bottled, and graded for quality. In the end, those 30-40 gallons of sap are reduced to one gallon of pure, delicious maple syrup, which is far better than the cheap, imitation, colored sugar-water that passes for maple syrup in the grocery store.

So it is when we come to faith in Christ. We start like raw, unfinished sap, which could have been tossed aside as worthless. But God knew what he could make of us. He sought and found us, and his skillful hands are transforming us into something precious, sweet and useful. The long and often painful refining process brings forth a pure, genuine disciple easily distinguished from cheap imitations.

Are you seeking ?  Jesus said in Luke 11:9-10, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Don’t expect to open the Kingdom of God unless you are seeking the Kingdom of God.

We are on this journey together ... you know I love ya, Don

Planted Word!

“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” - James 1:21

We have a garden in the backyard. Karen, Matthew, Alice, and I have made it our project this summer. We have green beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, pumpkins, and egg plant growing. The children are loving how we watch it grow and mature. We have been able to pick beans already. The three of us pick the beans and Alice says, "Lets go and give these to Mama."

We have had to work hard at keeping the weeds out of the patch. The wind has blown in leaves and papers at times. Then there is the rabbits....we have chase them off too. It reminded me of this passage in James where we are reminded to keep the moral filth and evil out our lives. We have to ward off so much.

I am also reminded that the Word (Jesus) is planted in our hearts and He is growing in us. Jesus in our lives brings about a disciplined harvest of love, compassion, and humility. We are transformed from glory to glory. He is more prevalent and I am less visible. The old nature of Don Crane is sacrificed to a better and more productive life of service and action. As I feel this peace planted in my heart, I can hear Jesus say, "O.K. lets go and give these to the Father."

You know I love ya, - Don

Seeking God's Heart!

"These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me."
Jesus - Matthew 15:8

Today, many believers draw near and honor God with their lips, but their hearts are far from Him. They have an outward show and profession of service to God, but fail to be motivated by an inward principle of love and faith. The Apostle Paul describes them as disobedient because "they profess that they know God; but in works they deny him" (Titus 1:16). Some go so far as to give mental assent to truth, but lack a willingness to receive God's provision by appropriating truth.

Jesus was often confronted by scribes and Pharisees who habitually put on an outward appearance of holiness, but lacked inward, divine substance from the Word of God. Their lives were characterized by false professions, hypocritical statements and lip service. In Proverbs 26:23, they have "burning lips, and a wicked heart."

God desires His people to render willing and obedient service based upon the love of Christ that constrains us, the work of the Spirit that draws us, and the promises of God that motivate us.

"But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

Lord, help me to examine my hearts each time I offer my service, and letting my professions be from my hearts that are in total submission to YOU. My you be pleased in "how" I lay down my life for the sake of others. In Jesus Name, Amen.

You know I Love Ya, Don