“He [God] will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the LORD. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.” (Malachi 3:3–4, ESV)
Gold and silver have special properties valued by humans. That’s why these precious metals have been collected for centuries. One of the greatest assets of these metals is that rust does not easily corrode and damage gold and silver. That is, unless the gold and silver are not pure. You see, gold and silver that are not pure will rust and break down much more quickly. In ancient times, fire was used to purify gold and silver so that the metal would not be contaminated by impurities that caused rust and decay to form in the metal. The refining fire would make the metals so pure that they could last for centuries free from rust, degradation, or corruption.
Malachi, in our scripture for today, mentions the refining of gold and silver as a parable for God’s work in the life of the faithful. As refining gold and silver makes them more valuable, so too God did “purify the sons of Levi (Israel) and refine them” (Malachi 3:3) to make them more valuable. By refining the Israelites, their offerings became more pleasing to the Lord. Like gold and silver that has been purified, the Israelites who were purified by God became extremely valuable to the Lord’s plans for Israel.
As impurities in gold and silver will cause its degradation and corruption, so too impurities in your life will cause degradation and corruption in your soul and attitude and so much more. Take for example, your thoughts. If you think impure thoughts all day long, don’t you think its possible you will at some point choose to act on them? When lust for another person courses through your thoughts, it is all too easy to do something life-shattering like have an affair or jump from one bad relationship to another. If envy finds its way into your mind, you might find your days consumed with jealousy or surround yourself with lots of expensive entitlements that steal your joy. If the fear of failure dominates your daydreams, you might find yourself afraid to make decisions or become overwhelmed with doubts. What kinds of impurities might be clouding your judgment or keeping you from enjoyment in life?
Even today, refiners use fire to purify metals like gold and silver. The heat of the fire separates out the impurities from the pure metal. This enables the refiner to keep the pure metal isolated from the impurities. The impurities can thus be removed from the metal, making it many times more valuable.
Sometimes, God will send refining fires to free you from the impurities that haunt your life. The fires God sends into your life might burn for a short while, but they will purify heart and soul and mind. Some difficult periods of your life may be the result of God’s refining fire burning out the spiritual and moral impurities that have corrupted your soul. These refining moments may be terribly difficult at the time, but they have a way of purifying your attitude and mind and heart as well as accomplishing so much more!
“The story is told of two brothers, convicted of stealing sheep, who were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, to indicate “sheep thief.” The one couldn’t bear the stigma, became bitter, and moved away. Eventually he died and was forgotten. The other brother chose a different course. He said, “I can’t run from what I did, so I’ll stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself.” As the years passed, he built a solid reputation for integrity. One day a stranger saw him, now an old man, with the letters on his forehead. He asked a townsman what they signified. “It happened a long time ago,” said the villager. “I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for ‘saint’.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Despite these two brothers suffering the same fate of being branded with an ST for stealing sheep, each made a very different response to their sin. One chose to give up and become bitter. The other used this “refining fire” moment to clean up his act. He chose to use that time to repent, change, and live a virtuous life. In the end, he was viewed as a saint (ST) instead of a sheep thief (ST).
Out of love, God will send refining fires every now and then to purify your heart and soul. When this occurs, don’t become bitter and resentful. Don’t become depressed and give up. Instead, use that time to purify your intentions, thoughts, motives, and soul. Let God refine your attitude and reactions. As long as impurities remain in your life, they will keep you from joy and peace and so much more.
One of the best ways to help God’s refining of your life is to repent. Let go of the sins that have corrupted your heart and soul and mind. Give up those desires that tempt you to do wrong. Keep your eyes focused on the clarifying light of Christ. Shed the sins that haunt your day. In time, you will come to see that cleansing your life of sin will not only make you more valuable to God, but those refining fires of God are crucial to a holy and precious life!
Malachi, in our scripture for today, mentions the refining of gold and silver as a parable for God’s work in the life of the faithful. As refining gold and silver makes them more valuable, so too God did “purify the sons of Levi (Israel) and refine them” (Malachi 3:3) to make them more valuable. By refining the Israelites, their offerings became more pleasing to the Lord. Like gold and silver that has been purified, the Israelites who were purified by God became extremely valuable to the Lord’s plans for Israel.
As impurities in gold and silver will cause its degradation and corruption, so too impurities in your life will cause degradation and corruption in your soul and attitude and so much more. Take for example, your thoughts. If you think impure thoughts all day long, don’t you think its possible you will at some point choose to act on them? When lust for another person courses through your thoughts, it is all too easy to do something life-shattering like have an affair or jump from one bad relationship to another. If envy finds its way into your mind, you might find your days consumed with jealousy or surround yourself with lots of expensive entitlements that steal your joy. If the fear of failure dominates your daydreams, you might find yourself afraid to make decisions or become overwhelmed with doubts. What kinds of impurities might be clouding your judgment or keeping you from enjoyment in life?
Even today, refiners use fire to purify metals like gold and silver. The heat of the fire separates out the impurities from the pure metal. This enables the refiner to keep the pure metal isolated from the impurities. The impurities can thus be removed from the metal, making it many times more valuable.
Sometimes, God will send refining fires to free you from the impurities that haunt your life. The fires God sends into your life might burn for a short while, but they will purify heart and soul and mind. Some difficult periods of your life may be the result of God’s refining fire burning out the spiritual and moral impurities that have corrupted your soul. These refining moments may be terribly difficult at the time, but they have a way of purifying your attitude and mind and heart as well as accomplishing so much more!
“The story is told of two brothers, convicted of stealing sheep, who were branded on the forehead with the letters ST, to indicate “sheep thief.” The one couldn’t bear the stigma, became bitter, and moved away. Eventually he died and was forgotten. The other brother chose a different course. He said, “I can’t run from what I did, so I’ll stay here and win back the respect of my neighbors and myself.” As the years passed, he built a solid reputation for integrity. One day a stranger saw him, now an old man, with the letters on his forehead. He asked a townsman what they signified. “It happened a long time ago,” said the villager. “I’ve forgotten the particulars, but I think the letters are an abbreviation for ‘saint’.” (10,000 Sermon Illustrations)
Despite these two brothers suffering the same fate of being branded with an ST for stealing sheep, each made a very different response to their sin. One chose to give up and become bitter. The other used this “refining fire” moment to clean up his act. He chose to use that time to repent, change, and live a virtuous life. In the end, he was viewed as a saint (ST) instead of a sheep thief (ST).
Out of love, God will send refining fires every now and then to purify your heart and soul. When this occurs, don’t become bitter and resentful. Don’t become depressed and give up. Instead, use that time to purify your intentions, thoughts, motives, and soul. Let God refine your attitude and reactions. As long as impurities remain in your life, they will keep you from joy and peace and so much more.
One of the best ways to help God’s refining of your life is to repent. Let go of the sins that have corrupted your heart and soul and mind. Give up those desires that tempt you to do wrong. Keep your eyes focused on the clarifying light of Christ. Shed the sins that haunt your day. In time, you will come to see that cleansing your life of sin will not only make you more valuable to God, but those refining fires of God are crucial to a holy and precious life!