Some time ago, a few ladies met in a certain city to read the scriptures, and make them the subject of conversation. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One lady's opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them what he said on the subject.
She went accordingly and without telling the object of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her. "But Sir" she said, "do you sit while the work of refining is going on?" "Oh, yes, madam," replied the silversmith; "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random; "the very hairs of your head are all numbered."
As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had forgotten to mention that the only way that he knows when the process of purifying is complete when he sees his own image reflected in the silver....
--Author Unknown
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Just the Facts, Please
We wake up and read it, watch it, listen to it. Some of us do this multiple times a day. We talk about it to those around us. It can make us sad, angry, or scared. Sometimes it makes us happy or brings a smile to our faces. What is it? Sadly, it is not the Bible. It is the news, the internet, the media. They are an intricate part of today's society. But have you ever noticed that the majority of news being reported is negative? Its full of natural disasters, financial crisis, wars, crimes, and the list goes on. Occasionally they will report a heart-warming story that makes us smile. The news influences us whether we like it or not.
With this being an election year, people will be paying close attention. The media knows we pay attention to what they say. And many take what they report at face value. After all, they are the experts and they know. Wrong! They are people just like us. Reporters report news and sometimes they get it wrong. Sometimes they only hear and report one side to a story. Sometimes their own opinions influence how they report news.
Take this past Saturday for example. You may or may not know that the media began reporting the Joe Paterno, the Penn State coach, had died. It was on the internet news, sports news, etc. But they were wrong! The family informed them that he was in grave condition but had not died. Sunday afternoon, the headlines again read that he passed away. But this time it was true.
My prayer is that the people will use the resources available to validate some of the news stories we hear, especially with the presidential election coming. I ask that God would give us all discernment, that we won't believe everything we hear.
Next time you hear “news”, take a moment to get the facts. Don't let your judgments be clouded by biased opinions.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
With this being an election year, people will be paying close attention. The media knows we pay attention to what they say. And many take what they report at face value. After all, they are the experts and they know. Wrong! They are people just like us. Reporters report news and sometimes they get it wrong. Sometimes they only hear and report one side to a story. Sometimes their own opinions influence how they report news.
Take this past Saturday for example. You may or may not know that the media began reporting the Joe Paterno, the Penn State coach, had died. It was on the internet news, sports news, etc. But they were wrong! The family informed them that he was in grave condition but had not died. Sunday afternoon, the headlines again read that he passed away. But this time it was true.
My prayer is that the people will use the resources available to validate some of the news stories we hear, especially with the presidential election coming. I ask that God would give us all discernment, that we won't believe everything we hear.
Next time you hear “news”, take a moment to get the facts. Don't let your judgments be clouded by biased opinions.
Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Don't "go" to Church
People across the nation rise on Sunday mornings, dress up, and head to the church of their choice. There, they greet one another with smiles plastered on their faces and appear to have their acts together. The music starts and they clap, raise their hands, and some even shout. They gather together, sitting in their seats, appearing to listen attentively to the words coming from the pulpit. Meanwhile, many of them are mentally checking off their to-do list, planning on where to eat, or even fuming at their spouse. But to look at them, you would never know these things are going through their minds. The service comes to a close, they load back into their cars, and head home. There. They can now say they are good Christians who have been to church. Now for the next six days, they can return to their normal routines, until Sunday arrives again.
Is that what church is? If so, no wonder so many want no parts of it. We need to realize that church is not the building or the service, but that we are the church. Every day of our lives should reflect the Jesus that is in our hearts, the love that we have for our God and each other. We should be waking up with praise on our lips, spending time with God before the hustle and bustle of our day begins. It doesn't have to be an hour, it can be just a few minutes. Our days should be filled with moments of honoring and thanking our heavenly Father. We should be encouraging those who come across our path. You never know how much a few kind words or a genuine smile will lift someone's spirit. We need to admit our shortcomings to one another and say “I'm sorry”.
Does that sound like we're suppose to live perfect lives? Well, it shouldn't. We all deal with the same issues – anger, frustration, worry, finances, etc. We just need to handle them as Christians, as followers of Christ. For instance, someone does something that makes you angry and you react in that anger towards them. When this happens, conviction should start nudging at you. That is when you need to go to that person and admit you should not have said the things you did and you shouldn't have reacted in the way you did. Tell them you are sorry. You see, its not the fact that you reacted in anger, its the fact that you returned to them and apologized. It takes God in your life to enable you to do that.
If we pay close attention to the directions that God is giving us, every hour of every day, and respond to His commands, then we are truly the church. The bible tells us in John 13:35 “By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” This is how we become the church. Then, as we go through each day living by God's direction, we can gather together in the church building and have the kind of church service that people will be drawn to.
Is that what church is? If so, no wonder so many want no parts of it. We need to realize that church is not the building or the service, but that we are the church. Every day of our lives should reflect the Jesus that is in our hearts, the love that we have for our God and each other. We should be waking up with praise on our lips, spending time with God before the hustle and bustle of our day begins. It doesn't have to be an hour, it can be just a few minutes. Our days should be filled with moments of honoring and thanking our heavenly Father. We should be encouraging those who come across our path. You never know how much a few kind words or a genuine smile will lift someone's spirit. We need to admit our shortcomings to one another and say “I'm sorry”.
Does that sound like we're suppose to live perfect lives? Well, it shouldn't. We all deal with the same issues – anger, frustration, worry, finances, etc. We just need to handle them as Christians, as followers of Christ. For instance, someone does something that makes you angry and you react in that anger towards them. When this happens, conviction should start nudging at you. That is when you need to go to that person and admit you should not have said the things you did and you shouldn't have reacted in the way you did. Tell them you are sorry. You see, its not the fact that you reacted in anger, its the fact that you returned to them and apologized. It takes God in your life to enable you to do that.
If we pay close attention to the directions that God is giving us, every hour of every day, and respond to His commands, then we are truly the church. The bible tells us in John 13:35 “By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].” This is how we become the church. Then, as we go through each day living by God's direction, we can gather together in the church building and have the kind of church service that people will be drawn to.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Conviction or Condemnation
Breaking news---We are not perfect. Okay, so maybe that is not news to most of us. We are flesh and blood and we don't always make the right decisions. But when we do, how do we handle it? Do we beat ourselves up and dwell on it, slowly sinking into a woe-is-me-pity party? Or do we ask forgiveness, repent, and learn from our mistakes?
A hard pill to swallow, but I believe it depends on our spiritual maturity. As we mature and grow in Christ, the more we begin learning from our errors. Think of this this way, when young children do wrong and are caught, what do they do? Try to lie their way out of it or begin crying and saying they are sorry in hopes of avoiding punishment. But as they grow and mature, they begin to learn from wrong judgments and start taking responsibility for their actions.
As Christians, we need to acknowledge our sin. God is quick to point out when we are acting out of character. Then we need to ask for forgiveness. Let God know that you are truly sorry for your actions. Remember, He knows our hearts. Repent, and turn away from your sin. Ask God to help you, to strengthen you, to surround you with Godly people to support you.
The problem is, do we really know the difference between the conviction of God and the condemnation of the enemy? Have you ever had a past sin come to your mind, even one that you may have forgotten about, and starting beating yourself up over it? Why? God has forgiven and forgotten it, He sees it no more. So why are we reliving it and tormenting ourselves over it? The enemy is condemning us. That is his job. And if we fall into that trap, he wins that battle.
When we sin, God convicts us immediately. He doesn't wait until later that day or tomorrow or next week. We know exactly when we do wrong. Now we may chose to wait until later to actually acknowledge and deal with it, but God doesn't.
Simply put, condemnation will dredge up past sin, whether from an hour ago or years ago. The conviction of God is instant and immediate. So don't let the enemy steal your peace. When he brings up your past, just say “thank you for reminding me how forgiving and loving my Father is.” And start praising God for His love, His mercy, His grace. Watch how fast the enemy will flee!
A hard pill to swallow, but I believe it depends on our spiritual maturity. As we mature and grow in Christ, the more we begin learning from our errors. Think of this this way, when young children do wrong and are caught, what do they do? Try to lie their way out of it or begin crying and saying they are sorry in hopes of avoiding punishment. But as they grow and mature, they begin to learn from wrong judgments and start taking responsibility for their actions.
As Christians, we need to acknowledge our sin. God is quick to point out when we are acting out of character. Then we need to ask for forgiveness. Let God know that you are truly sorry for your actions. Remember, He knows our hearts. Repent, and turn away from your sin. Ask God to help you, to strengthen you, to surround you with Godly people to support you.
The problem is, do we really know the difference between the conviction of God and the condemnation of the enemy? Have you ever had a past sin come to your mind, even one that you may have forgotten about, and starting beating yourself up over it? Why? God has forgiven and forgotten it, He sees it no more. So why are we reliving it and tormenting ourselves over it? The enemy is condemning us. That is his job. And if we fall into that trap, he wins that battle.
When we sin, God convicts us immediately. He doesn't wait until later that day or tomorrow or next week. We know exactly when we do wrong. Now we may chose to wait until later to actually acknowledge and deal with it, but God doesn't.
Simply put, condemnation will dredge up past sin, whether from an hour ago or years ago. The conviction of God is instant and immediate. So don't let the enemy steal your peace. When he brings up your past, just say “thank you for reminding me how forgiving and loving my Father is.” And start praising God for His love, His mercy, His grace. Watch how fast the enemy will flee!
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Year, New Mindset
Welcome to the year 2012! This is the beginning of a new year. We can never go back to last year, the same as we can never go back to yesterday. That time has past, its gone forever. But even though we can't go back, we can reflect on events that occurred, choices we have made, things we have or have not done.
As we reflect on these things, we should be seeing situations where we should have done or said things differently. How many times have we heard ourselves say, “if I had it to do over again, I would.....”? Although we can't return to that specific moment of time, there will come another circumstance that will be similar. The faces may change, the places may change, but the situation won't. That is our chance to use the lessons we've learned from the past and apply them.
You see, every day we are learning. Learning about ourselves, our God, our life. Its what we do with that knowledge that is important. Sometimes we tend to make the same mistakes over and over, sort of like the Israelites wandering in the desert. Other times, we realize our mistakes rather quickly. But our God is faithful and quick to forgive. All we need to do is ask And when He forgives, it is forever. That is what we need to learn to do - forgive.
When we handle situations badly, we need to acknowledge that and forgive ourselves. Although we are seldom able to forget the error of our ways, we are able to forgive and learn from it. We are able to take that lesson and apply it to our lives.
Sometimes there are things that happen that we can't change. Like when someone hurts us. But we can forgive them and move on. Holding on to yesterday's hurt is not only harmful, it is pointless. Why would we intentionally hold on to something that is hurtful to us? Let it go. Put it behind you. Move forward.
So let's start this new year with a new mind-set. Once today is gone and tomorrow becomes the present, let us put yesterday behind us and move on. Don't take today's junk into tomorrow. After all, you can't put new wine into old wineskins least they burst and make a mess.
As we reflect on these things, we should be seeing situations where we should have done or said things differently. How many times have we heard ourselves say, “if I had it to do over again, I would.....”? Although we can't return to that specific moment of time, there will come another circumstance that will be similar. The faces may change, the places may change, but the situation won't. That is our chance to use the lessons we've learned from the past and apply them.
You see, every day we are learning. Learning about ourselves, our God, our life. Its what we do with that knowledge that is important. Sometimes we tend to make the same mistakes over and over, sort of like the Israelites wandering in the desert. Other times, we realize our mistakes rather quickly. But our God is faithful and quick to forgive. All we need to do is ask And when He forgives, it is forever. That is what we need to learn to do - forgive.
When we handle situations badly, we need to acknowledge that and forgive ourselves. Although we are seldom able to forget the error of our ways, we are able to forgive and learn from it. We are able to take that lesson and apply it to our lives.
Sometimes there are things that happen that we can't change. Like when someone hurts us. But we can forgive them and move on. Holding on to yesterday's hurt is not only harmful, it is pointless. Why would we intentionally hold on to something that is hurtful to us? Let it go. Put it behind you. Move forward.
So let's start this new year with a new mind-set. Once today is gone and tomorrow becomes the present, let us put yesterday behind us and move on. Don't take today's junk into tomorrow. After all, you can't put new wine into old wineskins least they burst and make a mess.
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