1 Peter 1:7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it tested with fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
We've been in full-time ministry just over 20 years now, and boy, have we had our share of trials and tribulations!
Sometimes when we are in the midst of trials we start to wonder -- Lord, will it ever end? In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't. But the good news is that with each faith-testing experience, our ability to deal with these trials and tribulations becomes better and our faith grows stronger!
In this scripture, God compares our faith to a most precious and beautiful metal -- gold. But when mined, this precious metal doesn't look very precious! It's dirty looking and black. How does gold become beautiful? A refiner takes the gold and carefully melts it in a melting pot -- slowly raising the temperature -- but never to the point where it boils. As it melts, slowly the impurities rise to the surface and he will scoop away the dross leaving a beautiful pot of gold, ready to become your next ring or bracelet. Here's the amazing part. The refiner knows his job is done when he can look into the melting pot and see a reflection of himself.
The only way gold will become more precious is when it's placed on the fire! In the same way, the impurities of our lives must be exposed to the fire so that the Lord can scoop up the filth that shows itself when we get hot!! Notice, though, that He'll never allow us to boil! And then, when it's all said and done, He can look upon us and see the beauty of His reflection!
Let's not despise the trials we're facing today -- on the contrary, let's embrace them! The Lord is using these things to prepare us to do great things for Him! Respond to the Lord today by saying what do you want me to learn from this today, Lord? And watch how the Lord blesses you through the fire!
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]The captain of a submarine was once asked, "How did the terrible storm last night affect you?" The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, "Storm? We didn't even know there was one!"
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev used to tell of a time when there was a wave of petty theft in the Soviet Union. To curtail this, the authorities put guards up around the factories.
This amazing passage defines all true believers in Messiah as "Abraham's seed and heirs according to God's promise". Abraham was known as the first Hebrew -- literally, "one who crosses over!" Before he crossed over into the promised land, we know from the scriptures that Abraham lived in a deeply idolatrous society and that even his own father was an idol worshiper. (Joshua 24:2) But one remarkable day, a call came to Abraham....a call from the Most High God -- and he became one who "crossed over" from idolatrous polytheism into a personal knowledge of the one true Creator God. So leaving his past behind, he entered a new life of spiritual truth and holiness and a new land of promise; a profound transformation, and for us, a beautiful picture of our own "crossing over" into the new life of Yeshua the Messiah.
Early in his life David was forced to flee from his king and father-in-law, Saul -- to flee for his life. During this long season of exile and hiding David began to find himself surrounded by loyal friends who joined themselves to him. But these were friends of an unusual kind: they were men who had all been unhappy, distressed, helpless, or in debt -- by and large, the outcasts of the world. But an amazing thing happened to these formerly hapless human beings when they joined with David; they were empowered and became his "mighty men." When David finally became King of Israel, these men were ennobled and raised to be princes and officers in his Kingdom.
Sukkot is a festival about rejoicing in the blessings that God has provided, but let’s be sure our focus is on the Lord of blessing – instead of the blessings!
During the Feast of Sukkot, the Jewish people took part in a water drawing ceremony on the last day of the feast. They would go down to the Pool of Siloam, draw water and bring it to the Temple Mount. Then they would pour out the water and recite Isaiah 12, "and with joy you shall draw water out of the wells (springs) of salvation." In Hebrew, the word salvation and Yeshua (Jesus, in Hebrew), are the same.
Though the new cycle of Israel's feasts has concluded, I'd like to share one more observation about last week's high holy day, Yom Kippur. It is a day on which adults are afflicting themselves by fasting, abstaining from all pleasures, and repenting. But for the children, Yom Kippur is a very different holiday. This day is my son Obi's favorite holiday! Why? Because the kids are not fasting or recalling their sins or suffering at all – they are celebrating freedom!