I have been thinking much about trial and suffering in the Christians life. I have thought about our responsibility in how we walk through that trial, our example to the saved and unsaved around us.
If we mean what we say, and we want our lives to reflect a pursuit of God, than how we see trial is pivotal to how we respond to trial.
Embracing Gods sovereignty and the things that He allows to happen or not happen in our lives should be done with willingness and peace.
Willing - knowing that He will never leave us, and He knows our limits. That He will rescue us before it becomes more than we could possibly bear.
Peace - A real trust that He sees the future, knows the impact on not only our lives but on the ones around us. It is for the greater good. We can have that assurance by faith and His promises despite our limited human knowledge.
Below is something that I came across recently. A woman posted it on a ladies forum to comfort other sisters in Christ who found themselves amidst the fires of trial. I wanted to share it here in hopes that it would bring you joy as it has me.
Malachi 3:3 ~ "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:
"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."
With joy being refined,
If we mean what we say, and we want our lives to reflect a pursuit of God, than how we see trial is pivotal to how we respond to trial.
Embracing Gods sovereignty and the things that He allows to happen or not happen in our lives should be done with willingness and peace.
Willing - knowing that He will never leave us, and He knows our limits. That He will rescue us before it becomes more than we could possibly bear.
Peace - A real trust that He sees the future, knows the impact on not only our lives but on the ones around us. It is for the greater good. We can have that assurance by faith and His promises despite our limited human knowledge.
Below is something that I came across recently. A woman posted it on a ladies forum to comfort other sisters in Christ who found themselves amidst the fires of trial. I wanted to share it here in hopes that it would bring you joy as it has me.
Malachi 3:3 ~ "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.
That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.
As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.
The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:
"He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."
She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.
The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.
The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith,
"How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered,
"Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."
With joy being refined,
No comments:
Post a Comment