Nytepassion
03-28-2006, 03:41 AM
God will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
Wonder what that means?
In effort to find out a woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you.
God often uses my circumstances (problems, failures, people in my life, ...) as fuel for that refining fire, but His flames never burn out of control. Since He made me, he knows well the intensity of the heat required to cleanse and purify; so He guards the temperature with wisdom and love, never allowing more heat than I can bear at any moment.
While He works, He watches me, sees past the present dross and delights in the pure gold that begins to shine through here and there. He is far from finished, but He foresees the beauty and radiance of all the person He will make me. So He continues to apply pressure and heat until this hard lump of alloy -- which often looks good enough to me -- is melted and broken.
With the passing of time, the hidden and imbedded dross rises to the surface where it becomes visible and reachable. Softened and surrendered, I yield all of myself to the Fire, giving Him both the gold and the impurities. He separates the two, skims off the dross, and begins to mold the rest to His (not my) perfect standard.
Author Unknown
Edited by Passion
Wonder what that means?
In effort to find out a woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.
She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"
He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."
If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you.
God often uses my circumstances (problems, failures, people in my life, ...) as fuel for that refining fire, but His flames never burn out of control. Since He made me, he knows well the intensity of the heat required to cleanse and purify; so He guards the temperature with wisdom and love, never allowing more heat than I can bear at any moment.
While He works, He watches me, sees past the present dross and delights in the pure gold that begins to shine through here and there. He is far from finished, but He foresees the beauty and radiance of all the person He will make me. So He continues to apply pressure and heat until this hard lump of alloy -- which often looks good enough to me -- is melted and broken.
With the passing of time, the hidden and imbedded dross rises to the surface where it becomes visible and reachable. Softened and surrendered, I yield all of myself to the Fire, giving Him both the gold and the impurities. He separates the two, skims off the dross, and begins to mold the rest to His (not my) perfect standard.
Author Unknown
Edited by Passion