Perfectly Prepared

The other day, I was thinking about the process of making a cup of coffee. I have a special interest in coffee because my husband and I brew coffee for church functions on a regular basis as a ministry of service. We spend a significant amount of time focused on properly preparing coffee. This made me want to research the process in a bit more detail. I discovered some similarities between a well-prepared cup of coffee and the Christian life.

Coffee cherries are the fruits of the coffee tree. After coffee cherries are harvested, the beans are separated from the fruit. The coffee “beans” are actually the seeds found inside the cherries. When the cherries are ripe, they are harvested, and the green coffee beans are removed, or separated, from the cherries.

I think that most of us have experienced a time when we felt that we were succeeding and in a good place, then we were plucked up and jostled around suddenly. We all have lost our comfort zone at one time. While this is uncomfortable, this “separation” is often part of the process that is necessary for our preparation.

After their separation, but before they are useful, the green coffee beans must be roasted. When the beans come out of the cherry and get processed, they are still green. Roasting produces the delicious flavor and smell we associate with the coffee we love. Set at roughly 550 degrees Fahrenheit, roasting machines are so hot inside that the beans must be kept constantly moving to prevent them from burning. It is only when the beans reach 400 degrees Fahrenheit that they begin to change by turning from green to brown.

I Peter 4:12 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: Job 23:10 says, But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Often, God allows us to go through the fires of life so He can change us to make us into what we need to be for His glory.

Now, coffee cannot be prepared with whole beans. The beans smell wonderful after roasting, but they are not quite ready for their intended purpose. Making a delicious cup of coffee is not possible until the beans have been ground, or crushed, into tiny particles.

God can allow us to be crushed, or changed, through life’s difficulties so we can be made into a better vessel. While the process may look destructive to others, God can use it to transform us into what we need to be for Him. Jeremiah 18:4 says, And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

To produce a good brew of coffee, the water used must be significantly hot, between 180 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit. This hot water then must be “pressed” through a filter full of the crushed beans to get the flavor into the finished product. The filter catches all the impurities so that the cup of coffee can turn out smooth and flavorful, as it should be.

Life can put us under pressure. If we allow it, that pressure can help us grow our faith. When the pressure is on, we must remember we are being filtered to increase our faith and patience, which will make us “perfect,” or “complete,” for the work God has for us. The process removes all the things holding us back from being the best we can be for God. James 1:2-4 says, My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

That perfectly prepared cup of coffee has an important purpose. By the time the coffee is ready for consumption, the coffee beans have been through a lot! It was a detailed process, but each step was necessary to get it ready to be served.

Many times, Christians are fully prepared for service only after they have been through a lot. II Timothy 2:20-21 says, But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Like that coffee cherry, we must go through a process to become what God needs us to be. There is a purpose for each step, but in the end, we must be ready for service!

What a wonderful treat a cup (or three) of coffee can be! Just as it can be a pleasant experience to drink a cup of coffee, it is equally as wonderful to spend time with a perfectly prepared servant of God. May we be willing to go through the refining process without bitterness so we can be that delightful encouragement to another servant of God. Just as that first cup of coffee for the day can be invigorating, may our spirit and testimony be a source of strength to our fellow Christians.

I want the trials and challenges that come into my life to make me into the best “cup of coffee” that I can be. I want to be of service to God’s people, that pleasant comfort and encouragement. Difficulties and sorrows will come to us, as they do in every life. Even if it means we may become …marred… or made …another vessel…, each step is meant to make us complete for His perfect work. At the end of the process, if we will allow it, we …shall come forth as gold.

 by Amber Slimp

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