Refined in the Fire

This morning in the news feed I ran across an article shared by a sister in Christ that explained what it means to be refined as silver.

Zechariah 13:9 "9This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

In order to refine the silver, the silversmith must remain holding the silver in the fire until it is finished refining.

When asked "how do you know when the silver is fully refined", the silversmith answered, "when I can see myself in it."

God refines us through trials as we learn lessons and grow in holiness. The more He can see Himself in us the more refined we are.

The silversmith must remain the entire time with the silver until it is fully refined.

Christ never leaves the born again believer and continues the refining process until the end of our lives when He is finished.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

2 Thessalonians 2:13
"But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth."

1 Corinthians 6:11
"And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

Ephesians 2:8-9
2:8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not from works so that no one can boast."

Hebrews 10:14
"For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Keep trusting Christ to work in you, we may not notice that we are gradually changing through the life experiences God is giving us, but if we are born again and being sanctified we are growing and changing as we learn from the training of God through His word and His work in us. Life is our training ground and the Bible is our instruction book in the whole process.

Those who do not obey the Bible will not learn. Those who spurn God's truths in the Bible will become increasingly stubborn lacking wisdom as they grow older.

Do we want to grow in wisdom? I assume we do if you are born again, then we must remember that all our experiences in life will train us if we trust Christ through them. We are in boot-camp, it isn't easy but very rewarding as we learn from our experiences.

Remember, I am convinced we are learning on this earth to rule with Christ in the Millennium. Hallelujah!!!