The Alpha off Refining Oneselff

UV 3154/10000 The Alpha of Refining Oneself
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

Job 23 v 10

When we willingly accept the Lord as the very centre of our lives, the locus around which our lives revolve, the Sun that holds us in orbit like the planets, He knows us from deep within. He knows our hearts inside out. He knows our desires for the very word “de-sire” means “ of the Father.” Desire is not the cause of suffering in this world as Gautama Buddha postulated centuries ago. Evil desires or lust is certainly an issue we need to grapple with. Lust creates dross in the purity of our hearts and lives. Just as dross or impurities in gold are refined by fire, the Lord tries us in the furnace or fire of suffering.

Apart from suffering, the Lord refines us through His word. As we imbibe His word, it is alive and active in judging the motives of our hearts and creating alignment with the knowledge and will of the Lord. Job had several layers of protection around, hedges that the accuser, the enemy or satan asked the Lord to remove in order to test the heart of Job. The layer of protection from natural disasters was removed and his sons and daughters perished in it. The layer of protection around his possessions was removed and he lost all he owned. The layer of protection around his health was removed and he became afflicted with severe skin disease. Each was a test or trial as the Lord like any good scientist or technologist believes in testing and not rusting His products. It is said that faith is not having any doubts about God but it is expressing one’s doubts to God. Job expressed his doubts and dismay to God and his faith came out after the several rounds of tests and trials as refined gold. The enemy ‘s task assigned to him by the sovereign will of God is to prove that the faith of humans is fake, lacking in depth or authenticity. The Holy Spirit is entrusted with the task of proving that our faith is genuine and pure. He acts as a catalyst in the refinement process.

Every day our speech, our thoughts, our desires should become more and more refined. We should pass our speech, our thoughts and actions and reactions through several filters provided in the Word. When we willingly and consciously submit ourselves to such a disciplining of our bodies, minds and spirits, we accelerate the process and keep ourselves from greater pain or hurt. As we grow in the Lord, become more mature and fruitful, our faith and its practical manifestation in all aspects of our lives need to be refined more and more. This kind of maturity is called patience. The tests that our forebears, mentors, fellow witnesses faced should also produce such patience of character and of faith. As our faith grows, our patience or our ability to endure pain or suffering for the sake of the Lord increases.