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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : He refines them

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BrokenOne
Member



Joined: 2007/6/7
Posts: 429
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

 He refines them

"God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world" (Gal. 6:14).

They were living to themselves; self with its hopes, and promises and dreams, still had hold of them; but the Lord began to fulfill their prayers. They had asked for contrition, and had surrendered for it to be given them at any cost, and He sent them sorrow; they had asked for purity, and He sent them thrilling anguish; they had asked to be meek, and He had broken their hearts; they had asked to be dead to the world, and He slew all their living hopes; they had asked to be made like unto Him, and He placed them in the furnace, sitting by "as a refiner and purifier of silver," until they should reflect His image; they had asked to lay hold of His cross, and when He had reached it to them it lacerated their hands.

They had asked they knew not what, nor how, but He had taken them at their word, and granted them all their petitions. They were hardly willing to follow Him so far, or to draw so nigh to Him. They had upon them an awe and fear, as Jacob at Bethel, or Eliphaz in the night visions, or as the apostles when they thought that they had seen a spirit, and knew not that it was Jesus. They could almost pray Him to depart from them, or to hide His awfulness. They found it easier to obey than to suffer, to do than to give up, to bear the cross than to hang upon it. But they cannot go back, for they have come too near the unseen cross, and its virtues have pierced too deeply within them. He is fulfilling to them His promise, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (John 12:32).

But now at last their turn has come. Before, they had only heard of the mystery, but now they feel it. He has fastened on them His look of love, as He did on Mary and Peter, and they can but choose to follow.

Little by little, from time to time, by flitting gleams, the mystery of His cross shines out upon them. They behold Him lifted up, they gaze on the glory which rays from the wounds of His holy passion; and as they gaze they advance, and are changed into His likeness, and His name shines out through them, for He dwells in them. They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.

Such, are they in all ages, "who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth."

Had they chosen for themselves, or their friends chosen for them, they would have chosen otherwise. They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom. They would have had Lot's portion, not Abraham's. If they had halted anywhere--if God had taken off His hand and let them stray back--what would they not have lost? What forfeits in the resurrection? But He stayed them up, even against themselves. Many a time their foot had well nigh slipped; but He in mercy held them up. Now, even in this life, they know that all He did was done well. It was good to suffer here, that they might reign hereafter; to bear the cross below, for they shall wear the crown above; and that not their will but His was done on them and in them.

--Anonymous.


_________________
Danielle

 2009/3/19 20:30Profile
growingholly
Member



Joined: 2008/8/4
Posts: 201


 Re: He refines them

wow.
how beautiful Christ is.

 2009/3/20 10:03Profile
MJones
Member



Joined: 2008/10/31
Posts: 320
Missouri

 Re: He refines them

Quote:

BrokenOne wrote:

They live alone with Him above, in unspeakable fellowship; willing to lack what others own (and what they might have had), and to be unlike all, so that they are only like Him.

They would have been brighter here, but less glorious in His Kingdom.

--Anonymous.




I had a thought that I was going to post on my 'What is God Showing You' thread. On my way to it, I stopped to read this one again. It is too closely related to what I intended to say to not post my comment here. By no means do I claim to be as 'without' as those mentioned in this quote, but there is an aspect of it that relates to what I want to say.

Before I discovered SI, my time with God was the highlight of my day. When I went to bed at night, I fell asleep thinking that my morning time with Him was just a blink away. When I woke up, He was the first thing I thought of.

Not too long after my SI discovery, I noticed that when I went to bed and when I woke up, my thoughts were no longer of God, but of the comments that I might find.

Recently I posted a thread called 'My Constant Need of God'. Of all the good that was going on, one day I realized that God was missing. What He showed me is not pretty. In fact I am embarrased to have to admit it. But for the chance that my admission might help someone else who may have fallen into the same trappings, I am willing to be embarrased.

To live alone with Him above, far outways the desire to shine brighter here. As is typical with God, He is not always about taking away, as we sometimes fear; He may just want to see if were willing to give something to Him to do with as He pleases.


_________________
Mike Jones

 2009/3/24 22:51Profile
MJones
Member



Joined: 2008/10/31
Posts: 320
Missouri

 Re:

Zeal by Packer

Are we clear what zeal is? It is not fanaticism; it is not wildness; it is not irresponsible enthusiasm; it is not any form of pushy egoism. It is, rather, a humble, reverent, businesslike, single-minded commitment to the hallowing of God’s name and the doing of His will.



A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, wholehearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether He lives, or whether he dies – whether he has health, or whether he has sickness – whether he is rich, or whether he is poor – whether he pleases men, or whether he gives offense – whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish – whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame – for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is, to please God, and to advance God’s glory.

J. C. Ryle, Practical Religion


_________________
Mike Jones

 2009/3/25 6:48Profile
wtninChrist
Member



Joined: 2009/2/17
Posts: 41
Muscle Shoals, AL

 Re:

MJones you hit the nail on the head!!! It is all about God's glory. We should all live in this light by the grace of God. It is all about Him here as it is in heaven is it not?

 2009/3/25 11:18Profile
run2win
Member



Joined: 2009/2/1
Posts: 164
USA

 Re:

MJones wrote: Before I discovered SI, my time with God was the highlight of my day. When I went to bed at night, I fell asleep thinking that my morning time with Him was just a blink away. When I woke up, He was the first thing I thought of.

Not too long after my SI discovery, I noticed that when I went to bed and when I woke up, my thoughts were no longer of God, but of the comments that I might find.

Recently I posted a thread called 'My Constant Need of God'. Of all the good that was going on, one day I realized that God was missing. What He showed me is not pretty. In fact I am embarrased to have to admit it. But for the chance that my admission might help someone else who may have fallen into the same trappings, I am willing to be embarrased.

**************

Oh, how easily we wander away from the best and settle for the good! I can certainly relate.

Immediately I thought of the lines to "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing":

"Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above."

God understands our tendencies to stray; like a shepherd, He seeks us in our wanderings and gently brings us back to Himself. Praise God for His tender mercies!

Oh Lord, keep our hearts sensitive to your gentle voice. Let us not make an idol of even the good things. May You have preeminence in all things.

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Amen.

 2009/3/25 12:03Profile
MJones
Member



Joined: 2008/10/31
Posts: 320
Missouri

 Re:

Good replies:

'It's all about Him.'
'Keep our hearts sensitive... Let us not make an idol of even the good things.'

I thought about the line in John 12 where Jesus says, 'I know that His command leads to eternal life'. Even though He knew it, yet He was troubled with what the Father was asking Him to do. He struggled with it - who wouldn't? And yet He concluded that He must die. 'I know that His command leads to eternal life.'

Likewise we, as we are enjoying some of this good eternal life that has come as a result of some of our own dying, are troubled when we are called on to die some more. We struggle with it. We see it as going backwards. We have to come to the point where we can say with Jesus, 'I know that His command leads to eternal life'.

When we do, we find peace. Jesus found peace in the face of the cross. This one decision was our example of the way to experience uninterrupted eternal life. It is His method of 'refining us'.


_________________
Mike Jones

 2009/3/27 0:11Profile
wtninChrist
Member



Joined: 2009/2/17
Posts: 41
Muscle Shoals, AL

 Re:

MJones this is in line with some thing I was reading in 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9. Some people think that all is easy when one gets saved, or when we see growth in our lives as christians, then we see hard times, and we may ask: why Lord? In 2 Corinthians 12 we see Paul as he deals with this thorn in the fleah as he calls it. He ask God to remove it three times. God denied Paul's request. We do not know what this thorn was, but we see the reason for it was in humbling Paul. Heres the part I love so; MY STENGTH IS MADE PERFECT IN WEAKNESS. In my weakness I see God's grace shine forth greater than ever to endure the times that are hard. In these times I find the most growth as a christian. God is good.

 2009/3/27 8:41Profile





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