Do you like real maple syrup? Not the flavored corn syrup we call maple syrup, but real syrup that comes from maple trees in Vermont? That delicious real maple syrup comes only from a tree that is at least 40 years old.
Most things that are really good take time to develop. The owners of maple trees have to think of their trees as lifetime investments. Imagine planting a tree when you’re 20 that won’t give a drop of syrup till you’re 60.
Christians need to develop the habit of investing time for the long term if we desire a bountiful harvest. Children, for example, require lots of time when they’re young if we’re going to raise them to serve God.
But that time is a smart investment when you consider the great potential for advancing God’s kingdom that comes from a lifetime of them serving the Lord.
Moms & dads think 40 years down the road when you need encouragement to redeem the time.
Rick Grubbs is best known as the host of “Redeeming the Time,” a one-minute radio program featured on hundreds of radio outlets around the world. He has spoken thousands of times on Biblical time management in all 50 states and 26 other countries. He is the author of the book “Morning Momentum: God’s plan for launching an unstoppable day”. He and his wife Carrie live in Salisbury NC with several of their 12 children.
