While you remain in this fallen creation, in your human body, with your sinful rebellious nature, Jesus Christ is intimately concerned and involved with the details of your circumstances. He has a good purpose for everything he allows to happen to you.

1) Jesus Christ is refining you to be more like Himself.

Hebrews 12:

⁰⁹Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?

¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.

¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Malachi 3

¹ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

² But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:

³ And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

⁴ Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in former years.

2) How Jesus Christ refines you is unique, different from His actions with others.

Isaiah 28:

²³ Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech.

²⁴ Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground?

²⁵ When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place?

²⁶ For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

²⁷ For the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument, neither is a cart wheel turned about upon the cummin; but the fitches are beaten out with a staff, and the cummin with a rod.

²⁸ Bread corn is bruised; because he will not ever be threshing it, nor break it with the wheel of his cart, nor bruise it with his horsemen.

²⁹ This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.

Proverbs 17:

³ The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts

Job 23

¹⁰ But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

More from 1 Peter 1:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

⁴ To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵ Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶ Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

⁷ That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

⁸ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

⁹ Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

3) Jesus Christ controls the refining fire. He will allow it to be as hot as needed for His purpose. He will not allow it to burn you. The refiner’s fire:

• melts down and purifies, separates the      impurities that ruin value
• burns hot -refiner must place the metal where      the fire is the hottest
• is controlled – forest fires destroy      indiscriminately

Refining silver requires holding the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames are hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The silversmith has to sit holding the silver, keeping his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver is left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. How does the silver smith know when the silver is fully refined?  When he see his image in it. Imagine! Jesus Christ is watching to see His image in you!

4) Remember Jesus Christ has an ultimate goal for you- when His work in you is complete. The very first time you pass into His physical presence and look on Him, hear His voice – you will be without spot or wrinkle!

Ephesians 5:

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

Questions for Reflection

1) How do you focus on the Refiner not the fire?

2) How do you see this refining fire affecting you?

3) How do you see this refining fire preparing you?

4) What matters to you about the refining fire you are in right now?

5) How does this refining fire play out in your behavior?

Rejoice in the Lord by Ron Hamilton
God never moves without purpose or plan
When trying His servant and molding a man.
Give thanks to the LORD though your testing seems long;
In darkness He giveth a song.

I could not see through the shadows ahead;
So I looked at the cross of my Savior instead.
I bowed to the will of the Master that day;
Then peace came and tears fled away.
Now I can see testing comes from above;
God strengthens His children and purges in love.
My Father knows best,  and I trust in His care;
Through purging more fruit I will bear.

chorus

O Rejoice in the LORD
He makes no mistake,
He knoweth the end of each path that I take,
For when I am tried and purified,
I shall come forth as gold.

Check it out on youtube; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iJLgasicRI

Hebrews 12:

¹ Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

² Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Let us run with patience the race He set before us, looking unto Jesus!

Coach Patti