“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.”
Early in my Christian life that verse was presented as sort of a threat. Basically it was shared to show that Gods testing of your real motives and purifying heat on your deep seated sin was intense, painful and brutal. In some ways that is not completely false but Gods purpose in testing the believer is not nearly that bleak. One of the risks of sharing a single verse each day is that the reader does not take the time to read the entire chapter, granted not all of Proverbs was written codependent on other verses in the chapter for context. However, when you pair this verse with the fullness of God revealed throughout scripture and you balance it with His intense, unconditional love as well as His promise to conform His followers to the image of Jesus this verse becomes very encouraging. As I’ve lived in Gods presence for decades I have discovered that, even when painful, the purifying work of God brings intense comfort, confidence and fruit. It would be easy to dismiss Gods tests as harsh. Maturity in the Christian is seen when we embrace the tests and recognize how deep is the love and commitment our Father has for us. Today look at your tests with clear eyes of expectation, hang onto Gods character and let the pruning begin. #BeTheEdge
“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Jesus