I recently read in my favorite Spurgeon study Bible that “there is not an ingat of silver in Heaven’s treasury that has not been in the furnace on earth and been purified seven times.”
I was struck by the thought that GOD has and will continue to test me with this unique purification of HIS doing until HE takes me home. HE wants us holy and pure. And we should take comfort knowing HE is always working and testing us, putting us near the fire to refine us. We might not like it or enjoy it, but HE needs to do this refining in a furnace on this earth before we reach Heaven.
PSALM 66: 10 “FOR YOU, GOD, TESTED US; YOU REFINED US AS SILVER IS REFINED.”
HE brings us through fire and purifying water in order to give us abundant life.
PSALM 66: 12 “……WE WENT THROUGH FIRE AND WATER, BUT YOU BROUGHT US OUT TO ABUNDANCE.”
It is a soothing comfort knowing that GOD is always working for us and through us when we are unaware. HIS goal to refine us is to make us into HIS standard of Holy, not what we might think is Holy. Because we certainly have no way on our own to refine ourselves. It doesn’t work. Yes we can try, but GOD changes those plans into HIS. Why would we try to refine what the LORD does best in us? This is HIS gift of grace to us and for us!
IN BEING HELD TO THE REFINING FIRE, GOD BRINGS OUR HOLINESS TO COMPLETION.
And isn’t it even more wonderful to know that no matter how we balk and complain when we are in the fire, that our LORD stays steadfastly near us? HE never turns away, HE turns towards us?
PSALM 66: 20 “BLESSED BY GOD! HE HAS NOT TURNED AWAY MY PRAYER OR TURNED HIS FAITHFUL LOVE FROM ME.”
Read the above scripture now in the NIV version…….
“PRAISE BE TO GOD, WHO HAS NOT REJECTED MY PRAYER OR WITHHELD HIS LOVE FROM ME!”
Thank GOD for HIS HOLY WORD……..it refines us daily, it changes hearts and souls like nothing else can. GOD knew we would need it and HIS WORD is perfection. GOD knew we would need it in the fire too, so keep reading it daily. There are promises there to get you through.
Even if we stumble through that fire, even if we sin, HE keeps us close in spite of our fleshy reactions. HE knows us so very well, so let this refining continue!
PSALM 121: 3 “HE WILL NOT ALLOW YOUR FOOT TO BE MOVED; HE WHO KEEPS YOU WILL NOT SLUMBER.”
HEAVENSREEF 
Oh, sometimes I fear what might my future refining look like. I know my past tribulations, and I stumbled and fell in them. I know I will need continuous refining here on earth.
But God has made me stronger, He has tightened my grip on Him, increased my faith in knowing He loves me and keeps me.
I praise Him always.
And I praise God for you as I lift you to His throne.
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Thank you Kathy. I needed to hear this today. I like that in our weakness, we grip HIM tighter! And when we stop and look and long to see………we see the SOVEREIGN GOD of the universe!
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