Pure gold won't discolor and it won't attach to a magnet.
Gold alloys, on the other hand, discolor with age, and they attach to magnets because they're mixed with less valuable metals.
The Bible uses the refining process of gold as an analogy for the refining of our faith (1 Peter 1:3-9).
The fires of adversity can make us shine purer and brighter if we allow God to remove impurities from our faith.
And when God removes impurities, we lose our magnetic attraction to worldly things (1 Peter 4:1-5).
I don't like adversity; and when it comes, it always reveals weaknesses in my faith. But I'm grateful that God doesn't let my dislike for the refiner's fire keep Him from plunging me into it. I know that it's an important part of my growth as a Christ-follower.
What about you? Have you come to appreciate the refining fire or would you rather avoid it? In what ways has the analogy of a refining fire been relevant to your hardships? What has God shown you as He's burnt away the impurities in your faith?
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How to Tell if Gold is Real
Bible Love Notes
I don't anyone particularly looks forward to adversity. But speaking for myself, I know I would not be the person I am today without it. I have learned things through adversity that I would not have learned otherwise.
ReplyDeleteI know this is true for me as well, LuAnn. During the periods of my life when everything was going pretty well, I've had a tendency to get self-righteous or self-content. I need those fires as much as I hate them! Thanks for sharing.
DeleteAt first, adversity feels like I've been set adrift. Then I realize that I have to draw closer to God and He draws close to me. Once I realize that, I recognize that I am not alone in the difficulty and with God's help, will get through it
ReplyDelete"Set adrift" is a good description, Carol. Adversity often catches me off guard and confuses me for a period before I begin to recognize God's hand in it.
DeleteJust stopping by from the GRAND Social Linky Party. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWell, I've certainly faced a fair (?) share of adversity of late. And yes, it's revealed my failure to "let go and let God." So. Hard.
ReplyDeleteThank you for participating in the GRAND Social!
Great post, my recent adversity most certainly revealed some things.....but some of them were good too and for that I am happy to know I have grown :) Thanks for linking with me.
ReplyDeleteI don’t not enjoy going through a refiners fire. But, I would rather do that and be who God wants me to be than not be His child! So, praise God for putting me through the refiners fire!
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