"MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD-TRIAL BY FIRE"

Father, Purify me, Refine me and mold me into the person who You Know I can be. Only with the help of the Refiner's Fire, can this happen.



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Good Evening to All!

(3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (5) who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (6) In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, (7) so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
(1 Peter 1:3-7 NASB - New American Standard Bible)


When I think about I think about the Spiritual Realm and gold in the same thought process, two thoughts come to mind. First the streets of gold which I look forward to walking on in my eternal home, and then how gold is purified by fire. Not only is it purified and cleansed by fire, but it is also tested by this means. Even today fire is used to determine whether or not the gold is the genuine thing or if it is fake, or a mixture rather than pure gold.

This is how God can tell if we are the real deal or not. He puts us through the "fire" of trials to test our faith, to see if we will bend to the will of other worldly gods ( the wrong kind of entertainment, the LOVE of money, addictions and on and on.)

Our reaction to these trials prove whether our faith is true to God, or if we are just "talking the talk" rather than walking the walk as well.

Don't get me wrong. We will all fail at one time or another, for it is written that we all fall short of the glory of God. The KEY here is how we react when we fall. Do we cower down tuck our tails between our legs and give up, or do we get back up look toward God, apologize, REPENT, and keep marching toward Him on the path of righteousness?

The more "trials by fire" we go through relying on God to help us get through it, the stronger our faith becomes and the easier the next trial is to get through.

Actually, this is going to sound a bit strange, but I look forward to my trials. Not that I enjoy being tested or the process of going through the problems, but if I just keep it in my head that God is going through it with me, and I will be stronger for it as well as being closer to God, I look forward to the outcome.

I really like what the devotion said about fire. It states that this method of purification actually melts the gold so that it no longer retains its original shape, and becomes liquid and moldable. That is exactly what God does as we go through our trial by fire. He is molding us into a "vessel" that can withstand anything that comes against us as long as we allow His help as well. That is where the Holy Spirit comes in. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that helps us to fend off the fiery darts of this world.

God says that He wants us to be more like Him. ( His attributes), and the only way we can do this is by allowing Him to mold us into what He wants us to be.

We as Christians are not being persecuted as openly as they were in Peter's day, although it is become more prevalent, yet we are definitely being pushed to accept worldly behavior as good and "normal" and accept laws that try to keep us from speaking out against sin. Our rights as Christians are being trampled on, in my view because if we speak out about what the Bible says about certain sins, then we can be sued, thrown in jail, or other repercussions. If that isn't persecution then I don't know what is.

I am not a wave-maker, I don't believe in forcing my beliefs on anyone, but I do feel that it is my responsibility as a Christian and a God-fearing person to do as Christ told us to do and spread His Word throughout the world, and speak out against sin. We must not fear imprisonment or the anger of those who oppose God, but hope in God as we stand for His truth.

Good Night to All and May God Bless!