Good morning and praise GOD for the wonders of life He bestows on us. We tend to gloss over them because they happen everyday like clock work. Let us take a little time to smell the roses.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Lord, I want to abide in You as You abide in me, to “live in the Spirit.” As I cannot bear fruit of myself, unless I abide in You. You are the vine, I am a branch. I want to bear much fruit for You, for without You, I can do nothing. I do not want to wither and be useless. If I abide in You, and Your Words bide in me, I may ask what I desire, and it shall be done for Me, because when I abide in You and You in me, my will aligns with Your will for me. By this You are glorified, that I bear much fruit.” (based on John 14:4-5, 7-8) Thank You Master Gardener, for pruning me and nourishing me and providing light that I may grow and be healthy. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Let’s eat.
A Refiner’s Fire
I went back in the archive 13 years for the message today.
For
he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap.– Malachi
3:2The
Lord has a specific manner of preparing His people for useful
service. God desires to turn His children from rough, hard-edged
stones into gems of gold and silver.
He will sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver; He will purify the Levites and refine them
like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring
offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem
will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former
years (Malachi 3:3-4).
The refiner’s fire can only accomplish
its purposes when the heat is turned up to extraordinary
temperatures. It breaks down the metal in order for it to become
moldable and shapeable. Only when the temperatures reach this level
can the work be fully accomplished. So it is in our lives.
Until
the Lord completes His refining process, the offerings we make are
not made in righteousness and cannot be acceptable. Thank God that
Jesus is our righteousness and that there is no righteousness apart
from Him. Still, the Lord continues to purge all that is not of His
righteousness out of our lives. This comes through trials that bring
each of us to the end of ourselves in order that He may only reflect
that which is Himself.
When God takes you through the
refiner’s fire, be encouraged because it is His overriding commitment
to turn you from a rough, hard-edged stone to a precious metal. He
will do this through certain events in your workplace, your
relationships, and other circumstances in your life. Our job is to
avoid trying to blow out the fire.
Quote of the Day
Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.
WITH HOPE AND FAITH
REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
GCKRS HELPING HAND FOUNDATION
– THE RELATIONSHIP FACTORY