One thing that I have been learning during the last few months is that God really cares about our heart and His desire is for our heart to belong only to Him. This hasn't been a very pleasant lesson to learn but in retrospect I am very grateful for it.
Hebrews 12:26-29
"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens."
The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—
that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom
that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful,
and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
for our "God is a consuming fire."
During, my Breaking Free study Beth Moore discussed the refining process. The picture she used to describe the process really stuck with me. She said that when gold is refined, or put through the fire, all the dross is brought up to the top and then scraped off. After that process you are left with what is valuable, the gold.
Sometimes God sends us through the refining process. Did you see how God is described at the end of the above verses? "God is a consuming fire." During times of shaking, and being consumed let us not forget what God's ultimate goal is, to have us emerge as pure gold and as a vessel that He can use.
Isaiah 45:10
"Woe to him who quarrels with
his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd among
to him who is but a potsherd among
the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands'?
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say,
'He has no hands'?
The Lord has been bringing up junk, putting things on hold and making me deal with many issues. What I am learning through this process is that He is doing this because He loves me. He still leaves us with a choice, though, we have the choice to allow Him to mold us and refine us, or we can jump off the wheel, or out of the fire and run away saying "What are you doing?", or even worse, "You don't know what you are doing."
As I said at the beginning, it has not been easy to be molded or to sit in the fire, but for me, understanding why He is doing what He is doing for has helped me to endure and cooperate with the process. If I can encourage you, I would encourage you to cooperate with the Lord. When you are in the fire and start seeing the junk rise to the top, do not freak out, that is how the process works. Instead, give Him your whole heart and let the All-Consuming Fire refine you. He is refining you in love and in order to have us stand and withstand the things to come.
PS Thank you to Debby from Heavenly Humor for giving me my 3rd blogger award: You Add Sunshine to my Day.
There are no requirements to receive it but I am passing it along to Karen from Karen's Threads of Hope Thank you Karen for the Sonshine you've added to my days.
I felt so comforted to hear "do not freak out." It's so easy to think all we are is a mess when we see the dross, and retreat into our cave. But it's so dark in there, and there isn't any hope in the darkness. But in our weakness He is strong. So coming out into the light may hurt our eyes at first, but that light is so sweet and beautiful. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed Thanksgiving!