"For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap." - Malachi 3:2b
The Lord has a specific manner of
preparing His people for useful service. God desires to turn His children from
rough, hard-edged stones into gems of gold and silver.
"He will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and
silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness,
and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days
gone by, as in former years"
(Malachi 3:3-4).
The refiner's fire can only
accomplish its purposes when the heat is turned up to extraordinary
temperatures. It breaks down the metal in order for it to become moldable and
shapeable. Only when the temperatures reach this level can the work be fully
accomplished. So it is in our lives.
Until the Lord completes His
refining process, the offerings we make are not made in righteousness and
cannot be acceptable. Thank God that Jesus is our righteousness and that there
is no righteousness apart from Him. Still, the Lord continues to purge all that
is not of His righteousness out of our lives. This comes through trials that
bring each of us to the end of ourselves in order that He may only reflect that
which is Himself.
When God takes you through the
refiner's fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment to turn
you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal. He will do this through
certain events in your workplace, your relationships, and other circumstances
in your life. Our job is to avoid trying to blow out the fire.
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