Remember years ago when the “in thing" was to pass along a yeast concoction for home made bread? You put in all the ingredients and then gave it to a friend, who waited for it to ferment then make bread, that was suppose to be delicious. I never was patient enough to follow through but I did taste a warm batch, and remembering it being pretty good. But what warm bread isn’t?
Well that is kind of the way it is for making bourbon. The concoction contains corn, barley malt and grains, and it is grounded up and then combined with the most important ingredient of all: the Kentucky water. Kentucky water is known for its high amount of calcium and because of the rich heritage of limestone in the rock, the water is in a purified state and free of most minerals that effect taste. That is what sets it apart from the rest of the distillers in the world, as well as the white oak, one time only, use of charred barrels, but that is another story. The water is the natural, purified resource of Kentucky, and only Kentucky!
The water deal got me thinking. It is a natural resource that no one has to dig up, filter, or test.
It is a spring generated commodity that flows freely in the hills of Kentucky. Well, it occurred to me that each of us has a natural, free flowing resource of purity that abides within reach of our everyday walk. It is Jesus. He is the resource who is the very essence of our ability to be "set apart" from the rest of the world, no matter where we live. He is the very ingredient that effects our fermentation and distilling of ideas, morals, values and the needle of our daily life compass. If we allow our waters to flow over the Jesus, the rock of Salvation, we too, in time, will be purified, and the mineral eating feats of fear, sorrow and sadness will be gently dissolved.
Just as distilling bourbon is a process so is life. And as bourbon takes years of processing and fermenting, we too are constantly being transformed as our years pass by as well. The liquid in the barrels is absorbed into the wood at three percent per year and depending on the
climate and position of the barrels on the high shelves where it is cooler or the lower shelves where it is hotter, the changes vary. As it is with lives about us. We all have hot and colds of life. We are transformed according to our circumstances, our experiences, placement in families, jobs, neighborhoods, churches, our trials, our success and defeats, and our choices. But one thing that is similar is both examples is that processing takes patience, and it is through the absorption that the insides change. It takes time to absorb the many truths and promises that God has bestowed upon us. And as they are absorbed we are being purified in the process. If we are running dry then we have no chance to cultivate a worthy product. If there is to be change in our lives, then we have to patiently wait as our waters are impacted by what we know and what we have learned of God’s loving grace. And then allow God the freedom to distill within us a heart seeking Him and His ways.
I know this sounds like a trite analogy but just for a minute consider the outcome of a river of pain flowing constantly over the Rock of wisdom, faith, assurance, love, and grace. It has to be effective. For when we allow impurities of disappointment, envy, judgment, brokenness and defeat to be the catalysts obstructing our flow of faith and vision, we are bound to hit a dam, and get stuck. Into a barrel of life we are poured, and purified water is the identifying element that sets the process apart from others. The waters began from a natural resource and then were poured into a carefully constructed container used to ferment and distill a product and then when tested and tasted were eventually bottled and sent out into the world to be shared. This is liquor, and I am not sure whether or not God condones this, thinking probably in moderation as wine, but my point is this: Through every trail and every circumstance our journey has begun with our waters flowing over the purifying Rock of Christ. It is what we absorb of God’s grace, his provision, his sovereignty, through life’s trails and the waiting and anticipation that changes us. This is what ultimately makes us a genuine kingdom product of hope and love and joy.
Every craft, to be done well, requires a master craftsman. One who has experience, resources,
know how, patience, recognition of details, is a visionary, knows how to avoid and overstep distractions, focus on the goal, and one who seeks to teach others the finery of excelling in excellence and overcoming obstacles in any field. We have access to the master craftsman of each of our lives in Christ. When we allow our river of life to flow over his rock of purity, it is then that we will gain the purity of insight within ourselves, and we will be at peace in spite of circumstances, and absorb God's joy in the process.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.
But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.
Psalm 40:2
Dear Lord, we are all part of your growing process, and I pray that as our waters flow in life that we may absorb the lasting purities that come from flowing over the Rock of your salvation. Help us guard against impurities that cloud our thinking and push us off course, and give us strength to persevere and courage to forge forward allowing you to be the rock of purity from whom we gain our momentum. Amen
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Praise God wherever you are and whatever situation He has allowed you to be in . . . His glory will shine through!
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