The Refined Remnant

UV 4257/10000 The Refined Remnant The remnant of Israel will do no wrong nor speak lies, nor will have a deceitful tongue be found in their mouths; for they will eat and lie down with no one to make them tremble and feel afraid. Zephaniah 3 v 13 Believers are described as the “remnant”. The word remnant is like the final refined residue in a filtration process that removes the dregs and dross of the mix of life. The Lord refines us with fire and water experiences in our lives. Our character is what the Lord focusses on. We are to do no wrong, speak lies or say anything deceitful. We are to be humble and yet, confident and brave, gentle as sheep but bold as a lion. The Lord dwells in us, and among us. Hence, He is our source of strength and confidence. We are confident of victory in all our battles. We rejoice in the Lord again and again as He is the cause and source of our strength, power and triumph. We eat of the word as the Israelites ate the divinely provided manna. The word is more real and desirable to us than food for food cannot save us from disaster or from our earthly and spiritual foes and enemies. Having partaken of the food, we are full of courage and will not fear neither death nor the principalities and powers of darkness or any of their weapons. The remnant is the church or body of Christ. We are to be the blemishless bride of Christ. He is the head and the rest of the body is to do the bidding of the head. We cannot stray to the left or to the right. Righteous conversation is the sign of true conversion or transformation. Our speech needs to be disciplined and refined. Our actions need to be in alignment with our beliefs and principles embedded in the word. Since the Lord has taken away our guilt or judgements, we are free of fears of death, curses and punishment. Hence, we can be joyful in all circumstances, in the favourable and the less favourable or even adverse. Our hearts and minds should be positive in thoughts, emotions and motives or intentions. Taking every thought captive to Christ, something Paul advocated to the early believers, implies that we should subject all our thoughts and emotions to the control, direction, supervision of the Holy Spirit. Next to our thoughts, our tongues are the source of great evil, trouble and conflict. Only the mighty power of God, of the Holy Spirit can control the tongue and turn it from being a bitter and poisonous spring to a spring of pure and life giving, life enhancing water. This uni-verse was also a prophetic utterance about the character of the coming Messiah- it describe the character of Jesus, that He never uttered a deceitful word, spoke the truth, honestly without any flattery to please the hearers. He remained faithful and steadfast, never afraid of the consequences of speaking the truth, confronted false accusations, threats and eventually embraced death on the cross. He is the only One in history to overcome death. The remarkable thing is that after His resurrection, He did not remind anyone of their acts of betrayal or desertion of Him. He did not speak even of His own great suffering. He only exhorted them to share boldly about salvation, about eternal life and encouraged them to establish the church, the final remnant on the Rock, the cornerstone, faith in Jesus Christ as Risen Saviour.