Sunday's Specialty

Malachi 3:3

And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

Glorious Sunday morning to all of you!!

I've been reading and pondering the subject of refining silver. From the materials I gathered, several points stood out and I want to share them with you today.

First of all, there is a breaking process where the refiner breaks up the rough rocks in order to free the valuable minerals, like silver, that lie within. Even though we are discussing the natural process of refining silver, we want to compare it to our lives - we are the silver; the Lord is the Master Refiner.

After the breaking, the silver is placed in a crucible (a fireproof pot), which is then placed in a furnace. The heat is applied, which allows impurities (also known as dross), to rise to the top, at which time the refiner carefully and skillfully removes them. The trials (or heat) we go through are not meant to harm us, but to remove things out of our lives - to make us pure like our Lord.

More heat is applied to make sure that all impurities are removed. Up to seven times, the refiner will continue to put the silver back into the furnace. Once again, the Lord knows how much heat He needs to apply because He knows how many impurities we have inside.

     Psalm 12:6 - The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

During all this process, the refiner never takes his eye off the silver. His precious silver is always in his sight during the heating process. In the heat of our own spiritual battles, the Lord has His eye on us, as well. In all that we go through in our lives, we are never left alone.

What is the refiner's ultimate goal? To see a clear reflection of himself in the silver. When the refiner sees his reflection in the silver, then he knows he is holding something pure. Once again, this is our Lord's ultimate goal. When He sees His image in us, then He knows that the work has been accomplished in us.

We are a work in progress, but the breaking and the heat is all for our good, that we may reflect the One who created us, and who has saved us!

Until tomorrow, Lord willing..............