Put through the fire

When gold is first mined, it has many impurities, such as zinc, copper, silver, or iron. One way to get out the impurities is by melting the gold. Gold's melting point is 1064.18 °C / 1947.52 °F! Once the gold is melted, gaseous chlorine is blown into the liquid. The remaining elements react with the chlorine and form a layer on top of the liquid gold. Note how the impurities could not be gotten out until gold was melted... which is extremely hot!

Christians must go through this process. What! Yes. There are several references of the 'gold process' in the Bible.

1 Peter 1:7

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Gold has always been valuable. Paul talks of how our faith being much more valuable than gold... and gold goes through fire. No one buys the impure gold because it is not at its best. Same with our faith. We need the fire to make our faith strong... and pure... to glorify God. After we go through the fire, it is so our faith 'might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.' So, we as Christians following after God, can expect to go through the fire so our impurities can be 'melted' out. It is during those extreme trials in our life that our imperfections rise up and that is when we can offer them to God and He can remove them. Do not be discouraged during this process because it is out of love for you and it is drawing you ever closer to Jesus. He sees our finished product, our true potential through all of the imperfections. Keep in mind how 'hot' the gold has to get in order to get the impurities out.

Isaiah 1:25

And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.

purge: rid of impurities, an act of removing by cleansing, etc...

dross: a mass of solid impurities floating on a molten metal, waste, impure matter

God said He will rid of us our impurities... so if you're going through the fire, trust in His word... that He will never leave you nor forsake you! Wait on Him and your strength will be renewed... for our God, the creator of everything, does not grow weary!

I was convicted after I had written this post, thinking of what right I had to write on such an issue. So I must say, I do not pretend to fathom what the depth of this test will be like or what it will cost. In my limited, immature faith, God is slowly teaching me what it means to go through the fire. My 'fire' is to me a trial, yet I know it is not worthy to be compared to such things as persecution. Each person has his/her own thing that makes their faith be tested. So, I'm not an expert at being put in the fire, rather beginning to learn and realize what this fire means and having the light bulb click on that if you are following after Christ, you will be put through the fire.

"work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

After being inspired by my little sister's blog, (virtuouswomanintraining09), I have decided to start a blog. My desire in life is to have Christ be the center always. May He lead me in this life and may I rest contentedly in my lot. Psalms 16:5

"Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes, all my own desires and hopes, and accept Thy will for my life. I give myself, my life, my all utterly to Thee to be Thine forever. Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit. Use me as Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever."

-Betty Scott Stam

This prayer is such an inspiration to me. To give it all to Christ, that is what He asks! He may give some of it back, but we must not give with that mindset. So many Christians get settled in their lives and only give God part of what they truly have to offer... they are missing out on all that God can be in their lives.

Betty Scott Stam was a missionary in China with her husband and baby girl. Betty and her husband discovered that Communist leaders were coming for them. They left a note for their baby's formula and went with the leaders. Betty Scott Stam watched her husband get beheaded and then she herself was beheaded. That was her cost... she did not know that when she prayed her prayer. Yet I have no doubt that she had the 'peace that passeth all understanding' and oh what joy she must have had when she saw Jesus... Paul says he suffered the loss of all things for Christ and counts them as dung so that he may win Christ! I would say that Betty Scott Stam would agree here.

This prayer cannot be prayed without seriousness, but we must all recognize that we are bought... we are servants. We cannot hold anything back, but oh the reward for those who surrender all to Christ.