Vessels Unto Honour Blog

The fact that His Heavenly Father cared for Him was wonderful to him - as it should be to all God’s children!

Psalms 139:13 For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

Reins are what drive us - our minds, wills, personalities. According to this passage, the Lord not only created us, He created what makes each of us unique, including our personalities.

I remember as a younger Christian, I used to get discouraged because I was serious-minded most of the time, when I laughed it was something fleeting. I had so many people tell me I needed to be more lighthearted, more easy-going - I couldn’t change my personality, my inward being, to suit them - and I was made to feel like my personality was wrong. But then a kind Christian woman showed me this passage, and just as God’s Word teaches that He made us as we are (height, physical appearance, and traits such as hair and eye color, etc.) - so too He made my basic personality (not referring to sinful characteristics, but to general manner). When I realized this, it took a load off of me. I realized I could be satisfied with the way my Heavenly Father made me. How about you - have you accepted the way God made you?

Psalms 139:14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are Thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Jeremiah 1:5a Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.

Job 10:9-13 Remember, I beseech Thee, that Thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt Thou bring me into dust again? Hast Thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese? Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, and hast fenced me with bones and sinews. Thou hast granted me life and favour, and Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. And these things hast Thou hid in Thine heart: I know that this is with Thee.

Like a Potter, the Lord God fashioned each of us, like vessels of clay. Notice the last verse above: And these things hast Thou hid in Thine heart. The work He has done in creating us was important to Him.

Psalms 139:15 My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

God made Adam out of the dust of the ground, and each of us is fashioned out of that same dust (earth) in the wombs of our mothers, away from the prying eyes of man - but always developing under God’s watchful care.

In verse 16, it says, Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.

Notice it says “unperfect”, not imperfect. Unperfect means “incomplete, or not complete (yet)”. God knew all about us before He even began to create us. When we were yet unformed in the womb, the Potter knew exactly what the finished vessel (product) would look like - and He had everything about us already written down in a book in Heaven, before He began to develop and form us.

It is an interesting study to look at the other books that God keeps His records in Heaven: the Book of Life (or the Living) in Psalms 69:28; the Books of our Works with which the lost will be judged by in Revelation 20:13; the Book of Remembrance in Malachi 3:16; the Book of Tears:

Psalm 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put Thou my tears into Thy bottle: are they not in Thy book?

Psalms 40:5, 17 Many, O LORD my God, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto Thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: Thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

The Lord’s thoughts are continually toward His creation. He didn’t just create this world and then walk away from it - He is actively involved in the lives of His creatures.

Why did God create man?

Revelations 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.

He created mankind so we could bring Him pleasure. He created us for fellowship and to reciprocate His love. But He did not want to make robots - He wanted to give us a free-will, so we could freely reject Him or freely love Him in return. Unfortunately, with that choice, mankind could and did choose to rebel against his Creator.

BUT knowing that man would rebel, the Lord God planned His way of salvation before He even created the world - a plan that all three members of the Trinity (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) would be actively involved in (just as all three members were involved in the creation of the Heaven and the earth).

Revelation 13:8 refers to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” This plan was so sure in the heart of God, that He considered it as good as done - just awaiting His perfect timing to bring it into effect.

The book of Revelation (17:8) also refers to believers (the saved, those who have repented of their sins and received the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ) as those who have their names “written in the (Lamb’s) Book of Life from the foundation of the world.” (See also 13:8; 20:15; 21:27)

Luke 10:20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

Psalms 139:17-18 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.

God created each of us for a purpose - have you received His gift of salvation? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, believing that He shed His blood and died for your sins upon the cross (paying the complete penalty that our sins deserved), that He was buried and rose again three days later? If you have done so, are you walking in fellowship with your Saviour now?

You are important to the Heavenly Potter, to the Creator, and He is continually thinking about all those He created. Are God’s thoughts important to you?

Remember, the Lord thinketh upon you!

Written and preached June 25th/05
Jerry BoueyOn Friday, June 9th, I had an opportunity to preach my study Earthen Vessels from John 9. God sure does have a sense of humour!! The power went out just before I got up to preach. A darkened room where no one could see, except for the light behind me, really got the message of the healing of the blind man across!

I thought I was so satisfied, serving from day to day;
But somehow I made no difference on the lost who came my way.
“Search my heart, oh God!” I cried, “Make me a vessel fit for Your use.
‘Give me souls, or I die.’ It’s Your will alone that I choose.”

Chorus:
Have compassion, making a difference,
Share the truth that will make them free -
From a heart stirred by the love of God,
Making a difference eternally!

I see the lost stumbling by, blindly on their way to Hell;
They need to know the Saviour - oh, who will go to them and tell?
Tell them of Jesus who died, so they can live eternally;
Moved with compassion, my heart’s cry, “Here am I, Lord, send me!”

Chorus:
Have compassion, making a difference,
Share the truth that will make them free -
From a heart stirred by the love of God,
Making a difference eternally!

Have compassion, making a difference,
Rescue souls that are bound by sin.
The Father’s House is waiting,
For us to bring the prodigals in.

Chorus:
Have compassion, making a difference,
Share the truth that will make them free -
From a heart stirred by the love of God,
Making a difference - eternally!

Have compassion, making a difference…

January 8th/06
Jerry Bouey

And of some have compassion, making a difference:
And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Jude 1:22-23

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8

If all the faithful child of God had to look forward in this life was the afflictions and trials they daily faced, they would be most miserable indeed! If there was no forgiveness of sins offered through the death, burial, and physical resurrection of Jesus Christ, there would be no hope indeed, no hope of entering Heaven (all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and God cannot look upon iniquity – see Isaiah 64:6 and Habakkuk 1:13), and no real purpose for our being set apart from the rest of the ungodly world! Please read this whole section so you do not misunderstand where I am going with this line of thinking.

1 Corinthians 15:29-32 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead? And why stand we in jeopardy every hour? I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. If after the manner of men I have fought with beasts at Ephesus, what advantageth it me, if the dead rise not? let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die.

As Paul stated above, if this life was all we had then the Christian’s life would be most miserable in comparison with that of the lost. What trials does the Christian bear that the lost do not?

Facing death to proclaim their faith and be baptized (identified) with Christ

Dying to our self daily, crucifying the flesh and resisting the pleasures of sin

Bearing the reproach of Christ, suffering for the sake of righteousness

Endless, wearisome battles with false teachers, apostates; spiritual warfare

Being chastised by the Lord when we walk in sin

Being pruned and purged so we are useful to the Master and bear more fruit

There is a saying that there is a scarlet thread that runs all throughout Scripture – referring to the redemption provided through the blood of Christ. In a similar vein, there is another thread, albeit a dark one, running throughout the Bible: the thread of sufferings and trials for true believers. We see one end of this thread in the book of Genesis, from the death of Abel, to the sufferings of Joseph; it continues on through time to the testing of Job, and the Exodus from Egypt; down further through the corridors of time to the exiles in Assyria and Babylon, and the desecrating of the temple by Antiochus Epiphanes; further still to the New Testament church struggling through dire persecutions, on to the tribulation believers facing the Antichrist; and finally, the end of the thread is in sight in the book of Revelation, when we see Jesus returning to conquer the nations of the world and begin His Millenial reign.

Just think how much easier the Apostles’ lives would have been if they were living for themselves, rather than for the Lord. Take Paul’s life, for example:

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

But this life is not all there is! There is Heaven awaiting those who are saved, and rewards for those who are faithful in serving Jesus Christ! If you are a child of God, then you have eternal life and the love of Christ which nothing can separate you from.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Though the furnace of affliction that the Christian faces has been heated seven times hotter, the Lord Jesus Christ still walks with us in the midst of the flames. After all has been said and done, in the light of eternity, I believe the child of God will be able to share the testimony of these three Hebrew men that the fire did no lasting harm to them. Truly, our Heavenly Father only allows into our lives what is in accordance with His perfect will. Like the hymn writer stated, “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well with my soul.”

Romans 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

4) The Christian’s Outlook In Their Trials.

Ezekiel 22:17-22 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, the house of Israel is to Me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver. Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem. As they gather silver, and brass, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so I will gather you in Mine anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you. Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of My wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof. As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out My fury upon you.

Don’t be an outcast. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrews 10:31) The hands of judgement are all that those who die without Jesus Christ as their Saviour have to look forward to. It is better to reach now for the hands of mercy! If you have never turned to the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, turn to Him today, trusting in His finished work on the cross of Calvary, believing in His death for your sins, His burial, and His literal, physical resurrection three days later. Turn to Him and let Him purge away the dross of sin in your life and make you a vessel worthy of honour.

Proverbs 25:4 Take away the dross from the silver, and there shall come forth a vessel for the finer.

2 Timothy 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on My name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is My people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

When storm clouds carry doubt and fear, I will not fret for God is near.
Though I walk through the darkest day, Through faith, my Lord will light my way -
For when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Someday my skies will clear again, The clouds will part - I shall see Him!
Now by faith, but then by sight, I’ll behold my King in all His might -
For when He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Poem written June 22nd, 2003
Study written August 6th, 2004
By Jerry (Gerald) Bouey

Jesus indicated that the man that was born blind was made so by God that the works of God should be made manifest in him. It wasn’t an accident - God had a purpose in this disability. God the Father was glorified and Jesus Christ was exalted through the healing of this man, but I also believe that Jesus was proclaiming who He was through this miracle.

On the sixth day of creation, the Lord God formed man - out of the earth:

Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The man (and the human race) was named Adam, signifying what he was made out of physically: earth or red earth. In fact, there are various places in the Bible where our bodies are referred to as earthen vessels. Several are:

2 Timothy 2:20-21 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

Lamentations 4:1-2 How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines vessel as: Something containing. He gives the following examples:

Vessels of wrath, in Scripture, are such persons as are to receive the full effects of God’s wrath and indignation, as a punishment for their sins.

Vessels of mercy, are persons who are to receive the effects of God’s mercy, or future happiness and glory.

Chosen vessels, ministers of the gospel, as appointed to bear the glad news of salvation to others; called also earthen vessels, on account of their weakness and frailty.

Romans 9:20-23 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory.

Two other passages that portray earthen vessels as types are found in:

Leviticus 14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water. This is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came down from Heaven, to be killed in a human body - an earthen vessel. (See my study on Leprosy for further explanation of this type.)

Jeremiah 32:14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. This is a wonderful type of the believer - though it is beyond the scope of this study to expound on it. (Lord willing, one of these days I hope to get my friend’s sermon notes on this passage, where he really opens up this neat picture. He preached his message about three or four years ago.)

Webster’s gives this definition of earthen: Made of earth; made of clay; as an earthen vessel.

Earth when mixed with water becomes clay. It is interesting to note that the verse just prior to the account of God making man out of the dust of the ground states this:

Genesis 2:6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

I had always connected this verse with the previous verse (verse 5) about the plants and herbs and the fact that it had not rained yet - but today I noticed it in connection with verse 7. Scientifically, we know that our bodies contain the same chemical elements as common dirt, and that we are composed mostly of water. Earth and water… Clay - in the hands of the Potter!

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 45:9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

This is probably the most known passage on the Lord God being the Potter and man being a clay vessel in His hands:

Jeremiah 18:2-6 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.

Man is as clay in the hands of the Potter. That is a theme that the book of Job brings forth again and again:

Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

Job 10:9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me into dust again?

Job 13:12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.

Job 33:6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay.

Man formed out of dust, out of clay - an earthen vessel in the hands of the Potter - in the hands of God the Creator. How easy it is for the Potter to put the earthen vessel He is molding back on the wheels and reshape it into a form that will bring Him honour! If it is cracked or broken, He can fix it. If it is marred, He can remold it so that it is better than it was before. The Creator has all power to recreate His vessels as He chooses. From a vessel of dishonour to a vessel of honour in His hands. With a touch of the Master’s hands (to quote a well-known hymn) that which was broken is made whole.

John 9:6-7 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

The Potter remolded His marred clay vessel, and fixed what was wrong with it. The Creator touched His creation of clay and made it whole again. Jesus, the Saviour, healed the blind man - with a bit of saliva and some dirt - clay in His hands. And with that little bit of clay, He repaired His earthen vessel in a manner that testified to who He was - God manifest in the flesh, the Potter Himself!

Notice the progression of this man’s understanding of who it was who had healed him:

John 9:15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.

John 9:17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.

John 9:24-25 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.

John 9:26-27 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?

John 9:30-34 The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvellous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth. Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind. If this man were not of God, he could do nothing. They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.

John 9:35-38 Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

First the Potter healed the blind man physically, then He healed Him spiritually. First Jesus healed this man’s physical blindness, then He healed his spiritual blindness. When the man who was was born blind, but who now saw, when he realized who it was who had healed him, he placed his faith in the Son of God.

The Potter, the Creator who made every one of us, has the power to remake us for His glory. Jesus has the power to take every blind man and give him sight - take every hellbound sinner and open their eyes to understand the truth of the Gospel. He can take every marred vessel and use it for His glory - He can take a vessel of dishonour and make it into a vessel of honour, through faith in Him and His finished work on the cross of Calvary. Then the Lord is glorified by the lives of those earthen vessels that were once marred but now are miraculously recreated; He is magnified by the testimonies of those He has healed; and He is worshipped by those whose lives He touches and transforms!

Are you an earthen vessel that Jesus has touched and changed? If not, you can be. The Potter who created you also has the power to recreate you - He can change your sinful, sin-filled vessel of wrath into a vessel of mercy that will honour and glorify Him (see Romans 9:22-23). Will you turn to Him and let Him remake you according to His perfect plan?

If you will turn from your sin and receive the Heavenly Potter, the Lord Jesus Christ, as your Saviour, then He can transform you into a vessel unto honour and use you for His glory. Though you are an only earthen vessel, a weak vessel made of clay, you can be sanctified (set apart for the Lord), and meet for the Master’s use, and prepared unto every good work, as the power of God works in your life and through you.

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

If we understand the general reason why we go through various trials, we will be better equipped to cling to the Lord in the midst of these trying times. The Bible teaches that a believer is like gold or silver that must be tried in a furnace to remove all the dross and blemishes in the metal.

1 Peter 1:6-8 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

Malachi 3:2-3 But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth? for He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.

Fuller’s soap is a powerful laundering chemical that basically bleaches out the stains and causes the garment to be a brilliant white. A refiner’s fire is a fire that is so hot that it causes any metal being heated upon it to be separated from the dross that is within it. The liquid metal gets heated up, and the impurities rise to the surface, whereupon the silversmith then removes the dross. As more dross is consumed or removed, the refined metal is purer, more precious to the Refiner.

So too, our faith become more precious to the Lord as the impurities in our spiritual lives are removed and the silver of our faith glows stronger. Our faith can only grow as we claim the promises of His Word, and look to Him for strength and comfort through the trials He places (or allows) in our lives.

As the commentators Jamieson, Fausset and Brown state in their comments on Malachi 3:3, “The purifier sits before the crucible, fixing his eye on the metal, and taking care that the fire be not too hot, and keeping the metal in, only until he knows the dross to be completely removed by his seeing his own image reflected (Ro 8:29) in the glowing mass. So the Lord in the case of His elect.”

I know trials and chastisement are not pleasant when we are going through them, but if we lean on the Lord and trust that He knows what He is doing, it will make them that much more bearable. Like the Refiner, knowing exactly how long to refine the silver, so too, the Lord knows exactly how long and in what manner to best refine us and remove our own dross. If we can trust our Heavenly Father with this aspect of our lives, we will not lose sight of our Saviour when the trials do come. If we keep our eyes steadfastly on Jesus, we are promised His perfect peace according to Isaiah 26:3: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee.

The Lord doesn’t indiscriminately cause affliction, but when, in His perfect wisdom, He knows it is for our best. (See Lamentations 3:32-33) When our heart has grown cold toward the Lord and the things of God (Bible reading, prayer, church attendance, soul-winning, etc.), sometimes He has to use stronger methods to get our attention. If we have wandered from our walk with the Lord, He will do what it takes to bring us back to Him – even if it means heavy chastisement. To quote my Pastor, “First He speaks, and if we will not listen, then He spanks. If we will not heed His chastisement, then He scourges; and then finally He separates (by death).” God loves His children too much to let them wallow for long in unrepentant sin!

Isaiah 1:25 And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin:

Yes, as Christians, we will go through the waters… Isaiah 43:2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Praise the Lord that even though we sometimes go through fiery trials, Jesus doesn’t leave us there. We will walk through the waters, through the rivers, and through the fires, but we will not stay in the midst of them! As the Psalmist stated in Psalm 66:8-12 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of His praise to be heard: Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved. For thou, O God, hast proved us: Thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; Thou laidst affliction upon our loins. Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but Thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

After the trials have achieved their intended purpose, then the Lord will remove them. And we will come forth brighter. Our dross will be consumed more and more with each trial, and we will one day be like Jesus Christ. In God’s perfect wisdom, He knows what He is doing, and in His perfect strength, He has the power to bring His purpose to completion. He will finish the work He has begun in us! Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Job 23:10 But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

1 Peter 4:12-13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when His glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

Don’t fear the trials and afflictions, instead, choose to focus on the Saviour and His purpose. Rest content in the Lord’s perfect plan, and trust yourself to His safekeeping. As our Heavenly Father works out all things in your life, to make you more Christ-like, let Him have His perfect way with you.

2 Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.

Study written August 14th, 2002.
Jerry (Gerald) Bouey.