The Refiner's Fire

Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

My father often told the story of a goldsmith and how the life of a goldsmith is a replica of God's Character and how he sees us in the scheme of life, regardless of what we are going through.

There is a process of refining that a goldsmith goes through when purifying gold. He holds the gold over the fire and lets it heat up. He holds the gold in the middle of the fire because that is where the flame is the hottest to burn away all of its impurities. When gold is first found in the crevices of the ground, rocks, caves, roadsides, or mountain-sides, it is full of dirt and other impurities that give the gold a dull look.

Think about how God is holding us in the palm of His hand, much like the goldsmith does. The hot spots are the daily, weekly, and monthly struggles of finance, relationship, sexual temptations, anger, confusion, indecisiveness, pride, jealousy, time management, hopelessness, fear, anxiety, faithlessness, and disbelief.

Like the goldsmith in the scripture, God watches us until we are purified. The goldsmith watches the gold the entire time that it is in the fire; never taking his eyes off of the process of the refining of the gold. He does this because if the gold is left in the fire to long it would be destroyed.

My father goes on to say that the goldsmith knows when the gold is refined when he can see his face in the reflection of the gold. Wow! That's how it is with us and God. Our troubles seem to burn us to the point of hurt, but God knows exactly how much of the heat we can bare.

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Whatever you are going through, you will be a better person in the end.

I close with a statement from a friend of mine. She didn't say this but she heard it from someone else and I can't remember who it was nor can she. It goes like this: "Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."

I am proud of you guys. I love doing life with you. Lead men, change lives, bring strength, and impact people.

Keep The Alliance Strong!


Koop