REFINED
"Behold,
I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of
affliction." (Isaiah 48:10)
"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." (Malachi 3:3)
Once we, as Christians, have submitted our lives to our
heavenly Father, He begins a process of purging and purifying, of training and
chastening, which is meant to remove from us all self-will, and transform us
into the image of Jesus our Savior.
There is one word which I think best describes this process and the
effect that it has on the individual that is exercised by it: refined.
The Word of God is
full of the history of men and women who, by faith, placed their lives in God's
hands and, as a result, went through this process of becoming useful,
spiritually mature, children of God.
They accomplished God's divine purpose on earth, and left a living
testimony behind them that has blessed and encouraged many generations of
believers ever since. Even today, the
stories of these faithful men and women quicken faith in those who read of
their deeds and believe. All of these
saints of old were common people like you and me. They all had to be purged, chastened, and
taught by God the Father; and more often than not, the instrument that God
chose to use in their lives to accomplish this refining (and uses in our lives
also) is "the furnace of affliction."
One of the best
examples of God's refining work in an individual is the life of Jacob. When Jacob and his twin brother Esau were
born, God said to their mother Rebekah, "The
elder shall serve the younger." (Genesis
25:23; Romans 9:12) So, from their
birth, it was established that God would bless Jacob over his brother Esau, who
was born just moments before him. Later
in life, Rebekah undoubtedly shared this word from the Lord with Jacob, the son
whom she loved so dearly. At any rate,
when Esau one day returned from hunting and saw that Jacob had prepared a meal,
he readily gave up his birthright to Jacob for a mere bowl of stew because he
was so famished. From that point it
became clear to Jacob that the dominion was his.
Now God had spoken
concerning His purpose for Jacob, and that should have been sufficient for him
to trust and wait upon the Lord to fulfill it.
After all, he had the testimony of his grandfather Abraham and how he had
waited so long for the promised seed to be born to him and Sarah his wife, and
how God proved Himself faithful even when it appeared that his body was unable
to conceive. Jacob's father Isaac
certainly had told him many times how he was that promised seed and through him
and his offspring God would raise up a people as numerous as the stars of
heaven. He also must have heard the
story of how Abraham had tried to fulfill the promise in his own way by having
a child with Sarah's handmaid Hagar - and he knew how that turned out! Jacob was a clever man, however. When the time came for him to receive his
father's final blessing, he seized upon a plan to deceive his dad and fulfill
God's purpose through his own efforts.
He should have waited upon God instead to fulfill His sure Word
in His time and manner. Because
of his "cleverness" and self-dependence, his deception worked great
wrath in his brother Esau, and Jacob was forced to flee from his home and
family and go to his uncle Laban's house in Padanaram.
On his way to Padanaram, God appeared to Jacob in a
dream and showed him a ladder set upon the earth and reaching to heaven, and on
this ladder the angels of God were ascending and descending. What a revelation! God made it very clear to Jacob that access
to Himself was the work of His hand only - none of man's methods would avail
him to reach to God. This vision was a
glimpse of Jesus Himself, the ladder of God which opens a portal to the
Father. Jesus Himself alluded to this
story when He told Nathanael, "Hereafter
ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon
the Son of man." (John
1:51) In this place God spoke to Jacob
and told him, "I will not leave
thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." (Genesis 28:15)
Oh, beloved, can you hear the voice of your Father
speaking these words to you also? Jesus
said, "I will never leave thee nor
forsake thee." Why is it, then,
that when we're in the midst of turmoil, we so quickly assume that He's not
with us? Can't we see that it is through
our day to day struggles that we learn to hear His voice, and wait patiently on
His working in our lives? Even the
seemingly insignificant hassles of life which we think God isn't interested in
become opportunities for Him to mold our character, and prepare us for
something greater down the road. After
all, if we can't overcome in the "little" things now - showing
patience, graciously taking criticism, suffering unjust actions against
ourselves without losing our "cool," etc. - how do we expect to
endure when our faith is tried by the fires of persecution and tribulation that
lie ahead?
Jacob reached his uncle Laban's home and served him for
many years keeping his flocks in exchange for the hand of Laban's
daughters. During all his years of
service, God was refining Jacob into the servant that He wanted him to
be. God wanted Jacob to see his own
weakness, but realize how mighty he could be through Him. After 20 years of service to Laban, Jacob
finally departed to return to Canaan.
On his way to Canaan, Jacob had another encounter with
God. At the brook of Jabbok, he wrestled
all night with the angel of the Lord until the Lord reached out and touched
Jacob's thigh and made him lame. From
that time forth it was to be a reminder of his own weakness and fallibility,
but also of God's sure and unfailing power and purpose. He was slowly learning that it was God Who
gives strength and dominion, and that His grace would always be sufficient, for
His strength is made perfect in weakness.
(2 Corinthians 12:9) After Jacob
was wounded, every time he walked or tried to use that leg, it affected him;
and he remembered his weakness. So it is
with us. Once God deals with us in an
area, and we have quit wrestling with God and trying to work it out in our own
power; then we find that He is more than able to work what He wants in us, but
we are forever reminded of that encounter when we are tempted to handle things
on our own. Through everything that
Jacob suffered, he became settled, mature, and refined.
"Before
I was afflicted, I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word." (Psalm 119:67) God has
said, "My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," and also, "There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Isaiah 55:8 and Proverbs 14:12) Once we belong to the Lord, it is His desire
to continue to reveal His nature to us.
The carnal, natural mind is not subject to God nor to His ways, however,
and never will be. Our ways, no matter
how noble they may seem, are in opposition to God's ways. "Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be." (Romans
8:7) This is why, when we are born
again, God places His own Spirit in us to reveal His heart to us. "For
the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." (1 Corinthians 2:10) Once we are saved, we do not become perfected
overnight. Little by little, God teaches
us His ways, and we begin to mature spiritually as He sheds His light into our
hearts. Jesus said of the Spirit, "And when He is come, He will reprove
the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment...I have many things to
say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into
all truth." (John
16:8,12,13) Through the Holy Spirit,
therefore, and the things which we suffer, we learn that God's way is indeed
the best way.
It would be nice if we could just hear His voice, and
walk in His will perfectly without ever straying or wavering. In reality, however, it takes a meltin' and
it takes a breakin' to flow into God.
Affliction often teaches us that we can't trust in the flesh, or in
temporal things; but must rely on the unfailing word of God. Be very sure that this is the path of every
child of God - you are not alone! After
we come through our storms, God will "make
you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (1 Peter 5:10) We will be able then to say with the psalmist,
"It is good for me that I have been
afflicted; that I might learn Thy statutes." (Psalm 119:71)
As we come through each trial, we grow stronger for the
next. We begin to look for God's hand
and His will in everything that befalls us, and to "acknowledge Him in all our ways." Then, when we can view the things that
come into our life not as hindrances to our growth, or our spirituality, but
rather as opportunities whereby we may be made more like Jesus, then we can say
that we are learning to walk with God.
"My
brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this,
that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and
entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:2-4) This passage always seemed to be a paradox to
me when I would read it. I found it
difficult to pass through some trial or temptation with a big grin ear to ear,
trying hard to express my "joy." Well, one day the Lord let the scales fall
from my eyes so that I could more fully understand and appreciate this
passage. What the Lord wishes to teach
us here isn't that we should joy in the "divers
temptations" - for they are difficult - but in the "knowing this." Knowing what exactly? Knowing that the trying of our faith is not a
wasted work, but our trials are building spiritual fortitude in us. We don't have to be like those who have no
hope, but we can come out of our struggles richer than we went in. We can count it joy because God is still on
the throne! His eye is ever upon the
righteous and His ears are open to our cry.
We're in His hands, and not at the mercy of circumstances!
"But
let patience have her perfect work."
(James 1:5) Too many times we try to run away from the
affliction or the trial in our life. We
cry out to be delivered immediately before the Holy Spirit has the opportunity
to work a perfect work in us. Sooner or
later we must pass that way again in order to learn the spiritual lesson that
only affliction can teach. There was a
reason that the Israelites had to wander for 40 years in the wilderness. Had they trusted God to begin with, they
would have entered the promised land a whole lot sooner! If we believe and endure, God will perform
His good pleasure in our life, and we will come through a little more perfect
and entire.
"If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James
1:5) You say that you don't understand
what the Lord is trying to teach you, or work in your life? Ask Him! He won't reproach you! H e wants you to know His will. Oftentimes we're so set in our ways, though,
that He really has to shake us to get us to see something of ourselves. We pray for more love, more peace, more faith,
or more patience, and then act surprised when something comes along to try
these things and give us the opportunity to grow in Christ. If we desire love, God may send someone very
unlovable into our life so that we can see how limited our own love is and how
unlimited is God's supply of love through Jesus Christ. If it's patience that we desire - look
out! No matter what it is that we lack,
or where we are relying on our own strengths instead of God's, He will allow
the heat to be turned up so that our dross will float to the top where He can
skim it away. Why? Because more than anything else, God wants us
to realize that in ourselves we can do nothing that will be valuable to
the kingdom of heaven. OUR righteousness
is SELF righteousness, and it's like filthy rags to the Lord. We must not trust in what we can do, but we
must discover Christ as our very life, and the source of our fruitfulness. HE is our love; HE is our peace; HE is our
patience. In fact, He is our
everything. "But of Him [God] are ye
in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 1:30,31)
Christianity is simply the process of dying to self and allowing God to
replace our old imperfect life with Jesus' perfect life. Ours is a God Who raises the dead, and makes
that possible which was before impossible!
Moses was one whom God called for a great work. There was some refining, though, that the
Lord had to accomplish before He could use him for His ultimate purpose. Moses surely had a burden for what God was
calling him to do, but he had his own ideas about how to accomplish God's will. When Moses saw an Egyptian striking one of
his Hebrew brethren, he took matters into his own hands and killed the
Egyptian. Then, the next day, as he was
trying to break up a fight between two Hebrews, the one who was at fault said, "Who made thee a prince and a judge
over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as
thou killedst the Egyptian?"
(Exodus 2:14) Moses then knew
that he had made a mistake! Many
well-intentioned brothers and sisters have tried to work things out in their
own efforts only to learn later that God was not directing them at all. They end up causing a lot of needless
problems for themselves, and for others as well. Oh, how we need to learn to cease from our
own labors in order to let the Lord work through us! Moses was forced to flee from the country and
sojourn in the land of Midian for 40 years.
While he was there, though, God met with him and refined him for the
work that He had for him to do.
Moses was tending sheep for Jethro, his father-in-law,
when the Lord appeared to him. On the
backside of the desert, that place where we often meet God free from other
distractions, the Lord revealed Himself to Moses in a burning bush. And Moses said, "I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is
not burnt." (Exodus 3:3) The thing that attracted Moses to the site
was not a bush on fire, but a bush on fire that was not being consumed by the
flames! As Moses approached, God spoke
to him out of the bush saying, "Draw
not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon
thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus
3:5) It was then that God revealed
Himself to Moses and told him of the purpose and calling that He had for his
life. Beloved, we must meet God in such
a way as to understand the consuming nature of His Holy Spirit. We must learn that it is His will to burn
away the sin and dross from our lives, and yet, leave us whole - the
"bush" intact. This is the
only way in which we can approach God, for He is a consuming fire. This then is holy ground indeed! This is where we learn to present our bodies
a living sacrifice to Him. God's fire
replenishes and regenerates life at the same rate that it consumes. He burns away our bitterness, lust, envy,
pride, strife, and all of the works of the flesh, and replaces them with
Himself, and the fruits of righteousness.
It is all a matter of faith, however.
It depends on our willingness to yield ourselves to Christ and believe
that He can transform us. John the
Baptist spoke of Christ when he said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am
not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His
wheat into the garner; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire." (Matthew 3:11,12) The threshing floor is another picture of the
place of affliction where the chaff is loosened from the good grain and blown
away to be burned.
Before Moses could be mightily used of God, he had to
be refined to the point where he could recognize that God's way was the best
way. After God had refined him in the
wilderness, Moses was not so eager to do things so hastily. He had learned the importance of waiting on
the Lord. Then, he could understand and
trust God's will and know why God had dealt with him the way that He had. Through everything, Moses was a willing
vessel wanting God's will above his own and, "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." (Hebrews 11:25)
If we ask God, therefore, He will give us the wisdom
that we need to understand what He is working in our lives. That word of wisdom will give us hope and
faith which will comfort us in all our trials.
"Remember the word unto Thy
servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope. This is my comfort in my affliction: for Thy
word hath quickened me." (Psalm
119:49,50) God's word is a light in the
darkness, and a lamp to illuminate our pathway.
"But
let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and
tossed." (James 1:6) We
must not waver in our faith toward God.
He is working everything together for good in our lives. There is method and purpose to all that He
does. We may not like everything that
the Father allows to enter our lives, but be very sure that He is able to take
each difficult trial and weave it into the great tapestry of His divine
plan. Some things are very hard to understand
in the present, and are more difficult than others. Those things do not change Who God is, or
what we know of His great love for mankind.
We may have to wait until we see Him face to face in order to comprehend
some of those things, but there is much today that we can understand and embrace.
He who has learned to trust in the Lord can say with Job, "When He hath tried me, I shall come
forth as gold." (Job 23:10)
"Let
the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: but the rich, in that
he is made low: because as the flower of the grass, he shall pass away." (James
1:9,10) God does not deal with us all in
exactly the same manner. Knowing our
weaknesses and our faults, He allows just what is necessary in order to refine
us. The brother of low degree may be
victorious in his common estate, but perhaps he needs to learn true humility
through being exalted; or the rich, maybe, needs to be brought low so that he
can learn not to trust in uncertain riches.
Let them both rejoice! Almighty
God is perfecting His own nature in them; and in each case, He knows what it
takes to do that. The Father's eye never
leaves the crucible. He allows just
enough heat to release the dross, but not enough to endanger the process. The apostle Paul said, "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere
and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to
abound and to suffer need." (Philippians
4:12) How did Paul come to know these
things? He was instructed everywhere and
in all things by the Spirit of God working in Him. In this way he came to understand that he
could indeed do all things through Christ Who strengthened him. (Philippians 4:13)
"Let
no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted
with evil, neither tempteth He any man." (James 1:13) Let's be clear. God does not send temptation or trial into
the lives of His children. He does allow
these things, however, in order that we may be perfected. In the world we are going to have
tribulation, but Jesus said, "Be of
good cheer; I have overcome the world."
(John 16:33) Strong winds
that blow against the trees make them stronger in the long run, and even help
prune out the dead branches. Satan is
the one who is like a roaring lion. He
seeks to kill, steal, and destroy the children of God. Yes, we may bend under the enemies onslaught,
but we will not break. The storms may
reveal some "deadwood" in our lives that needs clearing out, but that
will only make us healthier in the end.
It is not the Father's will that we be destroyed, only that we be
purified.
"But
every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren." (James 1:14-16) It is
our lusts that lead us astray, and it is these same lusts of the flesh that God
expects us to overcome through Christ Jesus.
They only work spiritual death in us.
It is the lusts of the flesh that have brought on the world all
corruption, pollution, and depravity. (2
Peter 1:4) It is through our Lord Jesus
Christ, and His righteousness, that the world will find escape and
salvation.
"Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall
direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6) These verses are ones that we should learn to
live by every day. If we do, we will not
have to be goaded and coaxed every step of our pilgrimage on this planet. We will learn to recognize the Lord's voice
as we commune with Him, and as we walk with Him. God has said, "I will instruct thee and
teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine
eye. Be not as the horse, or as the
mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and
bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord,
mercy shall compass him about."
(Psalm 32:8-10) We need to be
sensitive to our Father's voice. Oh, how
He wishes to speak to His people! We're
the losers if we neglect to hear Him. As
we progress in knowing the Lord, we should be more aware of His leading, and
more fearful to rely on our own feelings and ideas. Time is short, and the days are dark, and
getting shorter. We need a zeal for God
- a passion to rid ourselves of everything that would hinder our spiritual
growth and fellowship with Christ. If we
draw close to Him, He will draw close to us.
The refiner knows his job is done when he can look into the metal and
see his own reflection there. God's work
in us is complete when He can look on us and see only Jesus.
One final word.
I don't want to leave anyone with the impression that all affliction
comes as a result of some sin in our lives that God wants to purify. We have been made subject to vanity, and
being found in sinful flesh we must humble ourselves and become obedient to
God. Even Jesus learned obedience
through the things that He suffered.
Trials, temptations, and afflictions may come for various reasons
besides our refining, although they always make us better in the end
regardless. As we endure these things,
they also can have a positive effect on others who are watching us. I was drawn to the Lord as the result of
witnessing someone go through a trial with great grace. I thought, "If God can change a man so
thoroughly on the inside that he can show such grace in the face of
persecution, then maybe God can change me as well." As death works in us, God is able to minister
life to others through the resurrection power of Christ. Our faithfulness works faith in others.
We all must go through this refining process. Let us not judge one another, therefore, when we see our brothers and sisters going through struggles. Instead, let's pray for one another, and support one another, knowing that we are all in need of our Father's instruction. May God grant us grace to endure the refining that He brings us through, and to recognize the purifying effect that it can have in our lives.
Comments
Post a Comment