July 12 – As By Fire

“The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.”  Proverbs 17:3 (ESV) 
“The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And each is tested by the praise accorded him.” Proverbs 27:21 (NASB)

In our verses this morning we find a different kind of promise.   It is good for us to understand that in our lives as believers, God is working for our best and His glory.  He is shaping us to serve and worship Him. To do that we are tested and refined like silver and gold - sometimes by fire.  The first verse (Prov. 17:3) gives the example of testing and refining to purify gold and silver.  This process takes great skill and care.  This example is also used in our second verse (Prov. 27:21) but with a different lesson.   First lesson: it is God testing our hearts. He is the one who does it.  He does so by allowing challenging circumstances and situations to be in our path and to test our faith.  Life is not intended to be easy and it is not a bed of roses (even if it were, there would be lots of thorns to contend with).   Second lesson: using the same example, our testing comes through the praise given to us.  Perhaps we can even say we are tested by the praise we desire or we think we are owed, and by the praise we receive.  Public and personal praise, when it is given, is something that needs to be received and appreciated in a manner that is worthy of our faith in God who gives us all things.  We give the praise back to God.  Because it is God who does the testing, it is God who provides the praise we receive through others.  Do we stand up well to it?  We will be tested like silver and gold to make us ready, it's a promise.    

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