Silver and gold are discovered and made better by fire. Heat burns away impurities and base metals to leave pure silver or gold, fit for a jeweler (Pr 25:4). Only the LORD can prove and purify your heart in such a way, by the fiery furnace of afflictions and trials. Men prove, assay, or refine the precious metals silver and gold. But they cannot prove, assay, or refine the heart of man. They use a fining pot for proving silver, and they use a furnace for refining gold, but the heart of man is neither accessible nor improvable. Your heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. No man can truly know the impurities in his own heart (Jer 17:9-10). So the LORD tries the hearts to reveal what is there, and He rewards accordingly (I Kgs 8:39). No man can escape the all-seeing eyes of Him with Whom we have to do (Heb 4:12-14; Rev 1:14; 2:18; 19:12). The Bible speaks often of God refining His saints (Job 23:10; Is 1:25). Jesus came as a Refiner; His fire burned up His enemies and purified new priests for offering acceptable sacrifices (Mal 3:1-5). The fiery trials He sends may make your heart heavy, but they make your faith stronger (I Pet 1:6-7). He brings His people through the fire to perfect them (Zech 13:9). And from them He chooses His jewels (Mal 3:16-18). The LORD can quickly find what is in your heart. He knows your worst fears, your strongest temptations, your secret fantasies, your weakest moments, your trigger points, and the sins that easily beset you. He can prove, assay, or refine you easily. Tremble before Him! Worship Him! Humble yourself before He humbles you! He uses the furnace of affliction to try your faith by adversity (Is 48:10). He uses the furnace of infirmity to build your reliance on His grace (II Cor 12:9-10). And He uses the furnace of temptation to measure your obedience (Gen 22:1-2; Heb 11:17-19). Do you know what God did to the great king Hezekiah? He left him – one of the most frightening things God can do to a man. God left Hezekiah to expose what was in his heart (II Chr 32:31). What was discovered by this refining method? Hezekiah was foolishly proud due to God’s merciful extension of his life by fifteen years (II Chr 32:25). God turned David over to Satan, and he numbered Israel, costing 70,000 lives but bringing great glory to God and deep humility to David (II Sam 24:1; I Chron 21:1). Jesus did the same thing to Peter, and he learned a great lesson by it (Luke 21:31-34; John 21:15-17). Temptations are painful, but they are good for God’s glory and your profit, if you respond to them the right way. How can gold be found without fire? How can it be purified without heat? Only by the Lord’s fiery furnace can you be purged of secret sins, fear of man, attraction to the world, pride, trust in others, love of others, self-righteousness, and other dross. Only by the furnace is your faith, love, and hope purified. The process is painful; the results are glorious. Dear reader, submit your heart to His fire (Ps 139:23-24). With wisdom, you should rejoice in fiery trials, knowing they are perfecting you (Jas 1:2-4; Rom 5:3-5). You will recognize their great profit; you will not consider them strange, you will even pray for God to examine and prove you (Ps 26:2; 119:67,71,75; I Pet 4:12). You will follow the prescribed methods to purify your own heart (Jas 4:8-10; II Cor 7:1). The LORD is the most skilled of refiners; He will not lose one ounce, one dram, or one grain of His gold in the furnace. Trust Him, afflicted believer. His trials will end in mercy (Ps 66:8-17; Job 5:11); His chastening is in tender affection (Heb 12:10-11; Rev 3:19).
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 17:45:18 +0000
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