So-o-o-o, more than a few of you wrote yesterday to tell me that you appreciated that I often speak to the harsh realities of life and don’t sugar coat things.
Yep – Joel Olsteen I’m not.
The Bible compares the trials and tribulations that we endure in this cruel world to refining gold and gives us an inkling of why we have to endure it. 1 Peter 1:7 – These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold–though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
In ancient times a craftsman would sit next to a hot fire with molten gold in a crucible. He would stir and skim the scalding molten metal to remove the impurities (or dross) that rose to the top. The process is much the same today. I’ve read that the temperatures rise to somewhere in the neighborhood of 1832 degrees.
Okay so just imagine you are the gold.
YEOW!!!!
That is how I sometimes feel.
As I peruse this thought today I can’t help but examine the refining process. It is not lost on me that in order to purify gold it must become less. If you start out with 1 pound of gold and then refine it, you don’t end up with that much because it is not pure and the impurities have to be removed. With all the trials and tribulations that I’ve endured lately I think maybe I’ve had more than a pound of flesh removed from my already skinny butt and I don’t feel real pure yet, signifying that there is more to come, (and probably today).
Hmmm…What is God trying to tell us with this example? Gold does not increase by trial in the fire; instead it becomes less because impurities are removed. Think about it. We must become less
So is that a bad thing?
Rev. 3:18 – I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.
Cool! … (Get it?)
I’ve always been more into sadism than masochism and I don’t like pain, not even a little bit, even when it’s for my own good. I am encouraged though that tremendous good comes out of my pain!
The glory of God and our own happiness are so united, that if we sincerely seek Him, we shall attain that elusive happiness when the soul shall no more be subject to evil.
John the Baptist had the right idea in bowing to the King and keeping the faith. I can only imagine that right now he is in God’s special place of Nirvana that God prepared in order to reward his faith (“it will bring you much praise and glory and honor”). No doubt he is feeling no pain…
That’s all I want.
So I’ll grin and bear it, because I know that my time’s a-comin’!
John 3:30
He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.