But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. Job 23:10
When gold is refined and purified. It is heated up to over 2,000 degrees. At this high heat, many of the impurities are burned up. Others come to the top where they are skimmed off, making the gold pure. God Himself is pure and holy, and He desires our lives to be like pure gold. In the things of God, purity brings promotion.
In a wealthy home some utensils are made of gold and silver, and some are made of wood and clay. The expensive utensils are used for special occasions, and the cheap ones are for everyday use. If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. 2 Timothy 4:22-23
We sing about the fire of God and celebrate it “burning” inside of us. We happily quote Jeremiah, saying God’s Word is like fire shut up in his bones. But we need to think about that; are we ready for purifying fire? Are you ready to have the dross, the trash, in your life actually consumed by fire?
Those who have been refined will tell you it is worth it! They will tell you to jump into that fire with both feet. How do you do that? Read the written Word of God, spend time listening to the Spirit. Let the Word that God speaks to your heart bring you to a place of repentance! Then, when the fire has done its job and brought the junk to the surface, take action and get it out of your life!
Pray: Heavenly Father, thank You for the reining that comes through letting Your word burn my heart, burn in my bones, as it consumes everything that is a distraction from my walk with You. I pray that my life will be used up for You and that when the fire is done, when all that can be consumed is consumed, I will be remolded into a utensil for special service. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
Further Reading: Matthew 5:8