THE SILVERSMITH

                                                

  
Mal 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.

This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. 

She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining Silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. 

He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:  "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver."  

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. 

If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. 

Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

QUOTE - "Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."

~Author Unknown

Straitness At The Time Of The End

Rev 3:7  And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
 
Rev 3:8  I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
 
Rev 3:9  Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
 
Rev 3:10  Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
 
Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

You will notice that the words of our title are linked with the Lord's coming - "I come quickly". 

And with His coming imminent He addresses these words to His children. 

The issue, after all, at the end, in the coming of the Lord, will be that there is that which draws out His own heart and makes it possible for Him to say this kind of thing-- "I have loved thee!" 

And this is a discriminating statement. 

We must place an emphasis upon the "thee" because that represents a certain condition that does answer to the heart of the Lord. 

The Lord loves ALL His children, but there seems to be something special here.

From this message to Philadelphia, which has the Lord's coming in view, we know how a faithful testimony may find itself at the time of the end. 

Undoubtedly the terms of this message indicate that the Lord's testimony will be in straitness, in limitation, hedged up, shut in. 

These words "key" and "door" surely indicate that there is something that is locked up, something that men would shut out, lock out, something men would hinder and frustrate and curtail and limit; doors that men would close and lock. 

Over against this, though it may be like that and it will be like that to the end for a faithful testimony...the Lord says: "I have the key."

And no matter what doors men may close, I can set before you a door which no one can close. 

Keys and doors ultimately are with Me, in the presence of the severest straitening, curtailment and difficulty'. 

~T. Austin Sparks 

Follow To Know

Hos 6:3  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.

Not all at once, but by degrees shall we attain to holy knowledge, and our business is to persevere and learn by little and little. 

We need not despair, though our progress may be slow, for we shall yet know. 

The LORD, who has become our Teacher, will not give us up, however slow of understanding we may be; for it is not for His honor that any degree of human folly should baffle His skill. 

The LORD delights to make the simple wise. 

Our duty is to keep to our main topic and follow on to know, not this peculiar doctrine nor that, but Jehovah Himself. 

To know Father, Son, and Spirit, the Triune God, this is life eternal. 

Let us keep to this, for in this way we shall gain complete instruction. 

By following on to know the LORD, we learn healing after being torn, binding up after smiting, and life after death. 

Experience has its perfect work when the heart follows the trackway of the Almighty LORD. 

My soul, keep thou close to Jesus, follow on to know God in Jesus, and so shalt thou come to the knowledge of Christ, which is the most excellent of all the sciences. 

The Holy Ghost will lead thee into all truth. 

Is not this His gracious promise? 

Rely upon Him to fulfill it.

~Charles Spurgeon~