Every morning during my devotional time with God, I have a French press filled with hot water and tea at my side. Those not familiar with a French press, it’s a brewing device made of a long glass beaker with a mesh plunger or piston connected to the lid.

The way it works is you fill the bottom of the press with coffee grinds or tea and then pour boiling water into the vessel. Afterward, you place the lid with the connected filter and plunger. Initially, you set the filter to the top and let the coffee or tea “simmer” underneath.

After a few minutes, you start to “press” the filter down to the bottom. Initially, the water is light and translucent. However, after pushing up and pressing down a few times, the water starts to get dark and rich. The boiling water’s heat causes the tea or coffee to expand and release all its richness, and pressing helps get every little bit left out.

Finally, after a few minutes, the tea is ready for drinking. My wife finds the whole process tedious and drawn out, but I value every step. The reason is that my French press reminds me of how God works in our life. Scripture teaches us we will encounter trials of intense heat with pressure on all sides. The process will seem relentless and unnecessary.

However, this means God’s working to get the very best out of us for the richness of His glory and to benefit others.

Daily Directive:

Answer and Journal the Following

Read:

Read and meditate on 1 Peter 4:12-19.

Pray:

What trials and tests are you going through now? What’s your response to this? Be real; be honest.

Meditate / Make It Real:

Pray and ask God for perseverance during this time and to rely on his grace and power.

Share / Show:

Share this with a fellow brother and have them hold you accountable.