Wednesday, September 07, 2005

A good friend sent this story to me. My Ramblin' Thought today is that if you are like me-sometimes I hate it when friends are painfully succinct (I am a recovering blurter and to-the-pointer), but at the same time I appreciate it when friends are painfully succinct out of love. Anyways...

I challenge you to read and soak in just how God is working in your life, and the world (as chaotic as it seems) around us.

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Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what
this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the
women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to
the group at the next Bible Study. That week, the woman called a
silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't
mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity
about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he
held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained
that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of
the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the
impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot
then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner
and purifier of silver! ." She asked the silversmith if it was true that
he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was
being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there
holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire
time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the
flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then
she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully
refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see
my image in it." If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember
that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His
image in you.

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