Like Gold Refined

Yesterday I was listening to a sermon by Ray Bentley which explored why God allows difficulty in the lives of believers who are in the center of God's will.  The first reason pastor Ray gave was most appropriate:  to refine us and in so doing draw out impurities from our lives.

He spoke about when he used to work as a jeweler.  Before a ring would be cast, Ray would take a lump of gold and heat it until it was molten.  This is the best way to remove the impurities of this precious metal which is mined from the earth.  There are often different metals mixed in with the gold, and the only way to purify it is to apply great heat.  Most of us know when a cake or biscuit is fully cooked, but how does a goldsmith know when the gold is pure?  It is when he looks into the gold and can see his own reflection.

God allows tribulation and difficulties not because He hates us, but because of His great love for us.  He created the first man from the dust of the earth, and his propensity for sin and rebellion has been passed down to all men.  We are like precious gold in God's eyes even in our natural condition.  But after we are born again and forgiven for our sins, many impurities remain in our minds and hearts.  We are not useful to God or man while unrefined, even like a goldsmith cannot use polluted gold for his intricate creations.  So God applies the heat through trying circumstances.  When difficulties bring our sin to the surface for us to see, we can skim it off through confession and repentance.  God allows this sanctification process to continue until we reflect the image of Christ through our actions, attitudes, and words.

Gold is a soft metal, and God desires that His people would have soft hearts, filled with compassion, love, grace and mercy.  A soft answer turns away wrath.  God does not want us to be stubborn and foolish, following after the desires of our impure flesh.  He desires that we would be soft and pliable, like clay that easily yields to the control of the potter.  My friend is a potter and has a special press with a auger that can revitalise clay when it has begun to dry.  We not only need the Living Water of the Spirit, but we must be pressed and pushed through trials and difficulties to make us workable and useful.  After the potter makes a vessel it must be fired at a high temperature before it can be used.  An unfired pot may look good, but will easily absorb water, crack under hand pressure, and be worthless for its intended purpose.

Praise God that He has a plan and a design for each one of us!  God allows trials and refinement so we might be useable.  Refined gold is much more valuable than gold mixed with dirt, and a glazed and fired pot is worth exponentially more than a lump of wet mud.  Let us yield ourselves to God's design, trusting that God is for us.  As Paul says in Romans 8:31:  "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

Just You - and a Just God

As I was reading last night Romans 14:12 stood out with renewed impact:  "So then each of us shall give account of himself to God."  We will not be held responsible for the conduct, decisions, or lifestyles of others.  God's standards and my obedience or disobedience will be the only topic of conversation.  I will not be able to justify myself by the actions of anyone else, or claim that others are to blame for stumbling me.  God is perfect and does not change.  Uncomfortably, I will be the prime and sole subject of this accounting.  This accounting for Christians will not be a recollection of sin because God has cleansed us and chosen to remember our sin no more.  It will be an accounting to see if we have been faithful stewards to use for God's glory the talents and gifts He has entrusted to us.  Those under the Law, having refused to enter into the New Covenant through Christ's blood, will be judged according to the Law.  Romans 3:19 says, "Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."  The wages of sin is eternal death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.

I can see it playing out in a courtroom like a television drama, me standing before the Almighty Judge.  No jury, no defense attorney, no opinions, no biased interpretations, no precedence, no loopholes:  just my life measured against the pure Word of God by a holy, righteous Judge.  Any references to other people will be inadmissible to His court.  God is both star witness and Judge.  No deed, word, or attitude was unknown to Him throughout all my days.  Forget video tapes and recordings, because God will not even need to remember anything:  He will know it.  In that day I will be left without excuse.  My mouth will be stopped by the truth of God's Word.

From the very beginning, man has sought to justify his conduct based upon others.  God gave Adam a single negative command:  do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.  Adam ended up being influenced by his wife Eve and ate of the forbidden fruit.  When God asked Adam if he had eaten from the forbidden tree Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent for deceiving her.  But Adam was not required or even permitted to answer for Eve.  God did not ask Adam why he didn't control his wife or why he allowed her to speak with the cunning serpent.  He was not allowed to submit as evidence a study concerning the dangers of peer pressure or how Adam was basically innocent because of Eve's influence.  Why Adam did it missed the point. The question still stood:  did you eat from the tree?  The only response to that direct question was yes or no.  With the taste of the juice still on his lips, could Adam deny what he had done before the God who knows all things?

I need to be reminded that I will need to give account of myself before God.  It is a good practice for us daily to keep accounts with God, not waiting until we are judged before Christ's throne.  I will not be able to blame a tiring day for my lack of patience, or my child's rebellion for my hurtful words or actions.  All excuses will flee away as dust before a hurricane in the presence of God.  All will lay bare and naked before Him, and all I will be able to do is fall upon His great mercy and grace.  Thank God that it is He who works in us both to will and do of His good pleasure.  He is the One who enables us to stand!

The Heavenly Physician

The advance of the internet has made a big impact on medicine.  People are more apt to "self-diagnose" on the internet rather than making an appointment to see a professional physician.  When they finally do go to the doctor, they are already convinced they know exactly what condition they are suffering from, various treatment options, and even what kind of medicine would be best from the commercials they have seen on TV!  Faith in the experience, training, and skill of a doctor to diagnose and treat illness can erode to a point that the doctor can be viewed with contempt by internet sleuthing patients - someone who has the access to drugs and treatments people know they need and has the power to withhold them!  It must be a difficult situation to train for years in university to practice medicine only to have your word trumped by Wikipedia.

Even before the internet, this is a similar way that people can treat God.  We can look at our lives, decide what is wrong, and pray for God to deal with our perceived problems or symptoms in a particular way.  Man is convinced he knows best even when he knows nothing as he ought to know.  God is not simply a means to obtain the ends we desire.  Change my circumstances and alleviate my symptoms, right?  So often in my life when I have prayed for God to change my circumstances He has flatly said no.  His will is that the difficult circumstances of my life would work to change me.  We see our symptoms as the problem when God desires to deal with the root cause in our hearts and minds.  Like good parents, He will not pave our way to our destruction by placating our selfish flesh.  He has bigger, greater plans for us beyond our limited vision.

Oh, that we would be as quick to deal with our spiritual maladies as with debilitating physical illness!  The trouble is, it is far easier to recognise a sore throat and fever than the onset of spiritual depression.  When we are downcast, may we seek guidance in God's Word and prayer.  Psalm 42:5 reads, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance."  The healing of body, mind, and soul is found in Christ.  Instead of me telling God what my problems are, I should ask Him as I would a doctor I trust:  "What is wrong with me?  I'm willing to go through with the treatment to the end because I believe and trust you."  Doctors are unable to heal people, but can treat illness through wisdom obtained by God's grace which promotes healing.  God is the one who brings the healing!

May our opinions bow humbly before the righteous judgments of our loving Saviour.  He is the over and above all One!  Cry out to Him in faith, trusting in Him alone!

The Secret of Satisfaction

Last night I saw the end of the popular film "The Avengers," featuring many Marvel superheros.  The first time we watched the movie as a family, we turned it off as the credits began.  Laura discovered there was a short scene at the end of the movie which obviously points to a sequel.  In the scene an alien is heard making statements about characteristics of human beings with fuzzy comic book logic:  "They are unruly and therefore cannot be ruled."  Hmmm.  Sounds like someone needs logic lessons.

One thing the extra scene confirmed to me is that humans are never satisfied.  One movie packed with special effects is not enough:  we need more, bigger, and better.  When Tolkien wrote the three books which comprise the Lord of the Rings trilogy, man was not satisfied with books alone.  Three "Lord of the Rings" movies were made, one movie per book.  Extended editions with hours of extras were also produced.  Now The Hobbit has generated much interest as a highly anticipated film trilogy which comes out in December:  one book made into three movies!  Once Hollywood discovers something that people like and sells at a profit, sequels are on the way.

Collections are additional proof of man's insatiable desire to obtain.  It doesn't matter if it is shoes, music, movies, toys, cards, games, or books.  People always want more.  I know the feeling well.  When I play baseball, there's few things that compare with squaring up on a baseball right on the sweet spot of the bat with perfect trajectory.  "Getting all of it" is something I love to do, but once is not enough.  When I step up to the plate the next time, I try to do it again.  Addictions are another confirmation that man's desires can even swallow up control of his life.  It is like our bodies and minds are made to crave but never be satisfied.  Food, water, sleep, and fun are things we enjoy one day and we seek it hungrily the next.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has created man to need.  He has created us with desire that only He can satisfy.  God is able to supply all our needs and provide eternal rest in Him which begins TODAY.  When we are born again by grace through faith in Christ, God becomes the chief desire of our soul.  This is where we find eternal significance, love, joy, and peace.  It is not a theoretical exercise but an experience enjoyed by all who seek God with their whole hearts.  Because we find our satisfaction in God, we can embrace the mundane and even troublesome tasks of life with joy and purpose.  Man spends his whole life crying out, "Is this all?  Is this it?"  This world does not have the necessary currency to satisfy or save a man's soul.  The answer is found only in Christ alone, the answer Christians will enjoy forever.