“Come to me.” Jesus whispers as He stretches out His hand.“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
When we come (back) to Him, accept His gift of salvation, repent and are forgiven, Jesus offers us a place to rest under His wings. This is where we’re restored…and refined.
Contrary to popular belief, following Jesus won’t prevent you from facing problems, pain, or pandemics.
Bad things will happen.
We can count on it.
In John 16:33 Jesus forewarned us we’d struggle and suffer because Satan is the prince of this fallen world. Then He told us two earth-shattering Truths
- In Him we have peace and courage
- He’s overcome this world—and its prince
This is excellent news! It means our afflictions aren’t senseless! They have a purpose. Instead of our burdens grinding us down, God uses them as a refiner’s fire to purify us. To make us stronger. To make us like His Son.
See, a refiner uses intense heat to melt gold (1,948°F) or silver (1,763°F). He then holds the precious metal in a liquid state for a time to leach out unseen impurities, allowing them to float to the surface so he can extract them. This process increases the luster and virtue of the metal.
Our hardships do the same thing. They expose residual sin, impurities we may not know are there, as they remind us of our complete dependence on God. And when we come (back) to Him, acknowledge our sin, repent, and are forgiven, we’re sanctified. Made pure. Holy.
And then we’re restored as we rest under the shadow of His wings.
There, we’re made stronger, are better equipped to do what He’s called us to do.
- To do our work as an act of worship
- To plan and walk in His footsteps
- To do what pleases Him
- To use our time wisely
- To bless, encourage, and edify others
- To embrace the gift of work
- To be a guard against the Enemy
- To have pure motives
- To resist complaining in ALL things
- To choose an attitude that honors God
- To put our faith into action
- To be a light
Once a metal is refined, it’s cooled and assessed. If impurities remain, the process is repeated. Likewise, we’ll face seasons of refinement throughout out lives. As difficult as these times are, submit to Him, and rejoice that God calls you precious and worthy of refinement.
Blessings, xoxo
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