“In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a
little while you may have had
to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
These have come so that your faith—of greater
worth than gold, which perishes even
though refined by fire—may be
proved genuine and may result
in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed.”
(1 Peter 1:6-7 NIV)
Refined and Made Perfect
I am who and what I am, Lord,
by Your own personal design,
but my heart is being transformed
as Your Holy Spirit refines.
I am being tried and tested, Lord,
and made pure and holy in the fire.
Mold me into the likeness of You
is my fervent prayer and desire.
I am being tempted daily, Lord,
to do the things that I want to do.
Give me the power of Your Spirit
to submit my control to You.
I am growing in understanding, Lord,
as You reveal Your truths to me.
Help me be still and wait on You
as I suffer and persevere patiently.
I am listening for Your call, Lord,
so tell me where You want me to go.
Fill me with Your love for others
so that my heart will overflow.
I am longing for Your return, Lord,
so I pray that You will come quickly,
but first refine me into Your image
and let others see You living in me.
by Beth Fore
*Every human being will suffer grief and different kinds of trials. Trials, pain, suffering, and tribulations are necessary for people to become strong in their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
There are few people in this world who will say that they are happy and joyful when trials and troubles come into their lives. Many people question how a God of love and compassion either allows, or makes, trials and suffering to occur in people’s lives. But this scripture in 1 Peter, along with other scriptures in the Bible, tells us that we suffer this grief and pain, sorrow and suffering so that our faith will be proved genuine and will result in praise, honor, and glory to God.
When we face many of the trials and challenges of life, we realize that we have little, or no, control over many of them. We can’t do anything to fix them! This leaves us feeling helpless and, often, hopeless. However, this is the time when we can make the decision to truly trust and believe in Christ. He tells us to go to Him when we are tired and weary and He will carry our burdens for us. When we realize that Christ is the only one who can make things right, we become more submissive and obedient to His will. This is what God desires. He wants his children to know that He is God Almighty, He is in control of everything, and He will do what is best for his children when we submit our will to Him.
*Just as gold must be passed through a hot fire many times until its impurities are removed, so people must endure many trials and hardships to make him more humble and trusting in Jesus Christ. Only through trials can a person be refined and made perfect.
Great faith is more valuable than the purest gold. Gold will perish, but great faith in God will never fail. God made each one of us unique and He gives us special personalities and spiritual gifts; but two things we all share in common are our humanity and our sinfulness. We will never be refined and made perfect on our own. Jesus, our Savior, shed his blood on the cross to cover our sins; so we are forgiven. God sees us through the blood of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, without sin or flaw. We are righteous and perfect in His eyes.
When Jesus left the earth and returned to heaven, He left the Holy Spirit with us to live in us and to empower us and lead us and transform us into the likeness of Jesus. The more we believe and trust in Jesus, the more we become like Him!
APPLICATIONS
- How did Paul the apostle respond to the many beatings, imprisonments, and other persecutions he received from non-Christians?
- Think of a time in your life when you felt like everything was really going great for you. What was your relationship with Christ like then? Then think of a time when you were at your lowest point. What was your relationship with Christ like then?
- Do you think that your faith would be as strong as it is today if you had never suffered anything bad in your life?
- An artist, or craftsman, keeps refining his/her skills throughout his lifetime. God is the master artist and craftsman and he is still refining His work on us until we die. What are some of the things you hope He will perfect before you die?
If you want to learn more about what it means to be a Christian or to become a Christian, click this link: https://woww.newlifebehavior.org/what-it-means-to-follow-jesus-how-to-become-a-christian/
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