Gold is very beautiful! God obviously thinks so as well, because his home (heaven) has streets that are lined with it. In Revelation 21:21 it says, The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
God Himself has said that in His dealings with us He is acting as a Refiner. He states this clearly in Malachi 3:3: He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the LORD
An offering in righteousness.
An offering in righteousness.
God is trying me in the fire just as gold is tried in the fire. The refiner knows the exact temperature to purify the gold. God knows the exact set of circumstances to orchestrate my permanent refinement. The intense heat of refinement will never destroy me! I know many of you have heard this analogy before, but I ask you to meditate on this promise in a new light! God values us infinitely more than the refiner values his gold. In John 6:51 Jesus tells us, I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. God dedicated His life to giving us eternal life. That means that we are very precious to him, our life cost Him His life... God will purify this earth and all sin, suffering, and sorrow will be consumed. God promises in Malachi 4:1, “Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. We are being purified now so that we will be pure and holy and able to abide with God in His holy habitation. In Amos 4:11 God reminds us, "you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning". God has invested in the refiner's business to purify all of His children. His life covers our life with holiness, perfection, beauty and infinite value. Because of this He has plucked us out of sure destruction and determined to make us holy. God is very much concerned about us and personally invested in purifying us to enable us to live with Him forever. I am thankful for His love, thankful for His providence, and very thankful for His patience.
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