An "Impossible" Directive - 5

To experience tough times periodicaly is normal. What isn't normal is James' directive to rejoice when going tfhrough adversity.This is the 5th segment of a study on James 1:2-8,12.We've obsesrved that causes of hardships can be our own doing or can be God's discipline. Today we look at another source from God - His refining prcocess.

3. God’s refining process can be a source of personal pain.

Job 23;10; But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.

Mal.3;3, He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify

 the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord

God’s way of  preparing us for a future ministry is “burning off our dross” through His refining process. What is dross? To  help answer  that look at Galatians 5:13-21  ” For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. ¹⁴ For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

 ¹⁶ “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

 ¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these (dross). Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.”

Silver and gold dross is all the impurities in the ore in which the precioius metal is found. Used as  metaphor for us, dross is anything that hinders God’s working in and through us.Pride, self-effort, lack of discipline, resentment, etc. Just as  a smithy brings the metal to a liquid form through heat, watching the fire that it not  be too hot to destroy the metal, so also God watches our lives carefully and turns up sufficient heat to achieve greater purification for our own sake and for the sake of those to whom we’ll be influencing.

It  has been said that the goal of the silversmith or goldsmith is to fashion a precious metal until it is pure and shines bright. He heats and works with his metal until he can see his reflection in it. One can only imagine how the silver or gold feels about this arduous process. (I know, silver and gold can’t feel, but just bear with me on this one.)

Isa. 48:10 I have refined you, but not as silver is refined.   Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

Because God is sovereign – all powerful, he could have prevented  your misfortune and it is possible He caused it. For verification we look at three Scriptures.   (NLT)

·      Jonah 1:4 But the LORD hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart.

·      In Acts 17 we find Paul addressing  the leaders of Athens, describing God. “This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.  ²⁴ “He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples, ²⁵ and human hands can’t serve his needs—for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need. ²⁶ From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries.  ²⁷ “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ For in him we live and move and exist.

·      Nahum 1:12 (NKJV)  Thus says the Lord: …Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.

Thus God, in His sovereignty can afflict us. “There is a limit to our affliction. God sends it. Then He removes it. Do you complain, saying, “When will this end?” May we quietly wait and patiently endure the will of the Lord til He comes. Our Father  takes away the rod when His purpose in using  it is fully accomplished.” (Spurgeon)

 Or God can cause a storm in our life (for our ultimate good) or He can rescue us out of the storm that He has allowed.

            God’s refining process – not plesant, but can be very productive if we cooperate with His work in our lives.

Tomorrow: Satan, a source of adversity.