GOD REFINES US IN OUR TRIALS, BUILDING ENDURANCE, CHARACTER, HOPE
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“Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.” – William Barclay, Theologian –
Life’s trials test our character. Who we really are is revealed in trying times. Often it is not who we want or intend to be.
God desires to refine us in our trials. As silver is melted, its impurities rise to the surface. When skimmed off, the silver is pure. The master craftsman pours the molten silver into a mold to create a beautiful work of art.
At times, God sees a need to melt away the impurities in our lives. Areas of sin, weakness, temptation… any enemy stronghold has to be removed for us to be one with a holy God. The heat needed to refine us seems often more than we can bear.
Yet the Master is at work. He knows just how hot the fire needs to be to release the dross that has become a part of us. He will mold us into something priceless. When we emerge from the refining process, we will be purified… reflecting the image of the Master Himself.
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” – Romans 5:3-4
Our trials are not just meant to be survived. They are meant to be a time for us to thrive in the hands of the Master. He does not leave us on our own. He will take this time to purify us and shape our character into that of Christ. If we endure through our fiery trials… if we can bear the heat of refinement… we will emerge a truer reflection of Him.
Endurance leads to character which leads to hope. We can view this as a circle that recurs in our lives. Our perseverance in trials refines our nature… smoothing out the rough areas… ridding us of unwanted sin. As we become more and more like Christ, we find renewed hope.
We rediscover our hope in Christ… our hope in salvation… our hope in eternal life. This hope strengthens us for future trials… where we will be better able to endure, build character, and find yet more hope. This is the circle of God’s refinement of us in the fire.
“There is no limit to what God can do through us if we are a yielded and purified people.” – A.W. Tozer
God wants us to be a reflection of His glory for all to see. We are to shine like stars before the world. Will we allow the Master to refine us in our trials? Will we endure the heat, strengthen our character, find new hope? Will we emerge a purer image of Him?
