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November 22 - PAIN IS A PROCESS |
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Spiritual and emotional pain is a part of the process by which God produces saints, just like heat is part of the process by which men produce gold. This is why Peter says, "Ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through (many) temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 1:6-7). Can you imagine how the gold would feel, if it were human, when the refiner begins to boil it? "Ouch!! Hey, you're hurting me! Help! Aaaaaaaah! I'm dying! Oh no! What's happened to me?" Why does a refiner melt the gold and bring it to a boil? So the impurities will float to the top and be skimmed off. This is the reason for the fire. The same is true for the fiery trial you are going through. God may be working to melt you down even further so the impurities of your heart will surface. Then He will skim them off and make you more like Jesus. A tourist in the Mideast was watching a man refining silver and noticed the pot of silver simmering on the flames. It prompted him to ask, "How long will you boil it?" The refiner looked up and said, "Until I can see my reflection." You can see that pain is a process by which God refines us until Jesus Christ can see His reflection in our lives. Not all pain comes from God--some is caused by misguided self-will and other times by Satan. But after you have prayed and determined the source, if your pain has not been caused by the evil one, it could be God is processing you into a perfect saint. |
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KEY VERSE: "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Peter 4:12-13).
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REMEMBER: PAIN IS A REFINING PROCESS. | |
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Devotions for yesterday Everyone Needs a Dream Devotions for the day before yesterday Glory in the Gray! |
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Scripture links by Blue Letter Bible (c) Lowell Lundstrom 1983-2008 |
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