The Challenge of Refinement

UV 3416/10000 The Challenge of Refinement
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderer’s soap ( which removes impurities and uncleanness.)
Malachi 3 v 2

Jesus as the Messenger of the new covenant written not on stone but with His blood is coming again. Jesus says, “ Don’t be slack, I will be back.” We are to give a rendering of accounts of our lives and of our faith. We will be judged according to the measure of our faith. Faith is the treasure that He has entrusted us with which we are to not just use but multiply. Our faith is to be refined like pure gold in fire. The dross or impurities of this world are to be removed by the pain of self discipline, the fire of suffering and by the work of the Holy Spirit in our souls, if we are to be greeted and welcomed by Him into His kingdom as overcomers, those who endured till the end, withstanding the temptations and trials of this life.

If we are not to be taken by surprise by the return of Jesus who said He will return like a thief by night, without prior warning or announcement, we are to ask ourselves every day the question, “ Am I a little more refined in my faith and its expression than I was yesterday and the day before? Am I a little more clean and pure than I was before?” Like a snake sheds it skin and leaves that place where it shed it, we need to keep moving to the next level of faith, love and hope. Our faith needs to grow and our faces need to glow with love for the Lord. Our lives need to be purged of all vestiges of evil, the influences of our sinful past and of the world. He and His qualities should increase in us and we should decrease. Our motives should constantly be tested on the whetstone of the Word. We should actively seek the help of the Helper, the Holy Spirit to discern any hidden or wilful sin in us. He requires sanctification in the inmost places of our being, our hearts and minds and not a mere external piety or religiousity.



Jesus washed the feet of His disciples to indicate the importance of external as well as internal cleansing of our souls. He was emphasizing not ritual cleansing but spiritual cleansing. Holiness is a constant reaching out for the perfection of God in all that we speak, think and do. Only then can we stand with boldness in His presence when He returns and He will welcome us and endorse us as “ Good and faithful servant. “ To this end, we need to constantly see our reflection in the spiritual mirror of the Word and noticing any blemish, proceed to remove it from our lives. We need to constantly introspect whether we are matching the standards set for us in our behaviour, our relationships, our work and in terms of integrity.