You
may have heard the saying, “God loves you just the way you are, but He loves
you too much to let you stay that way.”
Although it’s a little cliche,
it holds some truth.
God
didn’t create us to be static characters. He didn’t intend for us to get saved
then remain stagnant for the rest of our lives. He wants us to constantly be
growing, changing, morphing into a reflection of Him.
When
extracted from the earth, silver is intertwined with other minerals and trapped
within various ores. It requires purification to be made unblemished and
untarnished. Purifying silver is a process requiring intentional attention and
concentration. The refiner must place the silver ore in the hottest part of the
flame and keep an eye on it to know exactly when it’s ready.
Being
a Christian doesn’t guarantee that we escape the “fires” of life. There are
many trials and hard times we will inevitably go through. Yet Malachi 3:3 says that God “will sit as a refiner and
purifier of silver.” This should be a comfort to us. God will watch us the
entire time we’re under stress and knows that everything we endure, in the end,
is for our own benefit.
He
also knows when we’re ready to exit the flame. We leave the fire more refined,
less blemished and with a brilliant shine, reflecting even more of His image.
Paul tells us to find confidence in this, “that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
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