Blessings in Muddy Boots:

Sometimes blessings wear muddy boots. When they do, they are hard to be thankful for, at least as thankful as we ought to be. I observe a frequent pattern in the Bible--one of my teachers in college called it the conservation of grace. God came down to Mt. Sinai, but Moses had to hike up. In Hezekiah's day,God delivered the people of Jerusalem from the Assyrians, but only after a time of intense soul-searching and prayer. Christ fed the 5,000, but the lad provided his lunch, the Apostles distributed the food and then gathered the left-overs--which, by the way, they ate later. When Peter was imprisoned, God miraculously opened the jail, loosed his shackles, and enabled him to pass by the guards, to escape, but Peter himself had to put on his coat and shoes, and walk to the house where his comrades were praying.Trivial, though the requirement may be, God's provisions often require some effort on our part. God typically doesn't do for us what we can do for ourselves. In the world of finance, we often hear the term "leverage." It enables one to make a small investment and have a huge impact. In the money-world the concept has often been abused leading to disaster. In the Spiritual realm, my act of obedience places me in the realm of God's blessing, as a friend of mine used to say, "Under the spout, where the glory comes out." On the front end, it is worth the investment; on the back end, thanksgiving is always in order.

It's STTA.