The Furnace of Affliction

Look, I don't know what sort of a life you've led up to this point … but I'm assuming you're no Adolf Hitler or Pol Pot. That said, we all have our flaws; bits of our makeup that need to be dealt with, refined. After all, none of us are perfect. Having those rough edges knocked off us though, having our character refined, can hurt a lot. Even admitting to ourselves that we're not perfect can be tough, yeah? Be honest, given who you are today, the mistakes you keep making over and over again to your own detriment and that of those around you, what are the bits of your character that need some work? Come on, what are they? And will you let God help you with that through the trials of life? To His very own people, Israel, He said this: Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction. (ESV) When I was a lad, my father worked at the local steelworks. He once took me to the blast furnace to see the molten steel coming out at 1,500 degrees Celsius (over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit). There was something like a scum on top of this red hot molten flow, which he informed me was called "slag" – the impurities had been drawn out and separated in order to purify the steel and make it strong. And that's exactly what God's doing when we find ourselves in His furnace of affliction – drawing out the dross to make us pure and strong. We can either cooperate with Him or fight Him. The choice is ours. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.