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.
The following is an excerpt from the book The Shelf of Life by Ruth Harvey. My pastor's wonderful wife gave me this book as a secret sister gift, and I have to say that I am LOVING it! This is just one of many little 'snippets' from this book that I find to be very profound, and I feel that I must share!
The story is told of some ladies who met for a Bible study. While reading the third chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable statement in the third verse, "And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." One lady planned to visit a silversmith and report to the ladies about the subject. She went accordingly and, without telling the object of her errand, asked the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he fully described it to her, she asked, "But, sir, do you sit while the work of the refining is going on?" "Oh yes, madam," replied the silversmith. "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace. If the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured."
At once, the lady saw the beauty and comfort of the statement, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." When God deems it needful to put His children in the the refiner's furnace, His eye is steadily intent on the work of purification. Trials are not randomly introduced into our lives, but His wisdom and love are always engaged in the process that will be best for us. We can rest assured He ever let us be tested beyond what we can endure. Removing the impurities of pride and self-will, the furnace of affliction will enable you to shine with the purity of His purpose.
Before leaving, the lady asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite simple," replied the silversmith. "When I see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished." What a beautiful picture of God's work in our lives! While we are enduring life's testing fires, God will sit right beside us. He will not take His eyes off us until His image shines forth in its purest beauty.
7/23/2008
7/21/2008
Talk about a roller coaster
The past two weeks have been 14 days of roller coaster emotions, and ups and downs. With Braeden getting his sunburn (which we now see he will be scarred from), and the things that happened that week, and then the storms that came through on Sunday throwing a tree on top of my car and our garage....it just doesn't seem like things have been going too well. (I'm so glad my husband has been keeping me sane...I love him so much.) In light of these circumstances, a few of the "small things" have helped to take my mind off of the seemingly tragic life we have been leading lately!
First of all, I had a test this morning and COMPLETELY forgot all about it. I had to give a speech on Friday and I was so focused on that, that I never wrote down that we had a test today and I didn't study a lick. So when I got to class and realized what I had done, I started studying immediately, but the teacher walked in and I had a grand total of maybe five minutes to study. When she told us to put all of our stuff away, I began to pray right there in my seat and I prayed until she put the test in front of me and I wound up acing it. It was TOTALLY God that I even passed that test, and He certainly deserves all the glory for that one!
My wonderful pastor and his wife stopped by this afternoon to help clean up this tree mess and even though we had technical difficulties....it was so nice to have some time to spend talking to them! What awesome people they are!
I got to take the kids to have ice cream this evening, and we laughed and laughed and laughed for the rest of the night. We've been having so much fun, that the day has flown by!
I started working with the kids on their school work from last year, just to get their memories refreshed before school starts and they are doing surprisingly well.
And to top it all off, I taught Carson to tie his shoes using the "tree and the squirrel" method and I've never seen him more proud of himself. He was jumping up and down and made me call daddy to tell him, and just kept tying them over and over and over. He is so excited, and so proud of himself, and to hear a child say "I did it all by myself!" is just so cool. Braeden and Hannah were almost as excited as he was and they all hugged each other. I love my babies!
First of all, I had a test this morning and COMPLETELY forgot all about it. I had to give a speech on Friday and I was so focused on that, that I never wrote down that we had a test today and I didn't study a lick. So when I got to class and realized what I had done, I started studying immediately, but the teacher walked in and I had a grand total of maybe five minutes to study. When she told us to put all of our stuff away, I began to pray right there in my seat and I prayed until she put the test in front of me and I wound up acing it. It was TOTALLY God that I even passed that test, and He certainly deserves all the glory for that one!
My wonderful pastor and his wife stopped by this afternoon to help clean up this tree mess and even though we had technical difficulties....it was so nice to have some time to spend talking to them! What awesome people they are!
I got to take the kids to have ice cream this evening, and we laughed and laughed and laughed for the rest of the night. We've been having so much fun, that the day has flown by!
I started working with the kids on their school work from last year, just to get their memories refreshed before school starts and they are doing surprisingly well.
And to top it all off, I taught Carson to tie his shoes using the "tree and the squirrel" method and I've never seen him more proud of himself. He was jumping up and down and made me call daddy to tell him, and just kept tying them over and over and over. He is so excited, and so proud of himself, and to hear a child say "I did it all by myself!" is just so cool. Braeden and Hannah were almost as excited as he was and they all hugged each other. I love my babies!
7/20/2008
I think I've mentioned this before.......
I know that I have brought this subject up in the past, and I talk about it frequently with my friends, and I think I've made it clear that this sort of thing drives me INSANE!!!! I also know that I'm not perfect in any way whatsoever, but honestly there are things that I would consider common sense that people just don't seem to get. I guess my idea of common sense is different than that of others. Not everyone....just a few people that I happen to know.
I get so frustrated, and disappointed, and irriated by the fact that there are a lot of people, even within the church, who teach their children to be obsessed with money and possessions. So many people out there are showing their kids that it's actually a good thing to go out and buy everything you want and to spend every dime on the guilty pleasures of this world. I see it every day, actually! "Mommy, I want THIS"....."Okay, then let me have the PRIVELEGE of being the one to buy you exactly what you want!" Why would we do this to our children?
Not only should we be teaching our children that they have to earn certain things (other than for birthdays and Christmas), but we also need to teach children that money should go for other things too....like tithes, and church ministries, and charities. Children must be TAUGHT that they are to put God before everything else, and that it's not about how many toys or games or presents you get; it's about what you can give, and how you give, and what you use your gifts and time for.
Like I said before, I am so far from perfect it's not funny, and I am far from being the perfect mother! One thing I can honestly say, however, is that I absolutely refuse to allow my children to be raised thinking that their goal in life is to see how many 'things' they can purchase or gain. I can only hope and pray that those people in my life who are teaching their children the direct opposite will come to their senses and think about what they are doing to their children. Many people feel like they are doing a good thing by giving their children everything they want, but in all honesty they are creating a greedy, money-hungry adult. I don't want to seem judgemental, but I am greatly concerned for the future of these children. I pray, in Jesus' name, that the parents and the adults in these situations will start thinking of the future as well.
I get so frustrated, and disappointed, and irriated by the fact that there are a lot of people, even within the church, who teach their children to be obsessed with money and possessions. So many people out there are showing their kids that it's actually a good thing to go out and buy everything you want and to spend every dime on the guilty pleasures of this world. I see it every day, actually! "Mommy, I want THIS"....."Okay, then let me have the PRIVELEGE of being the one to buy you exactly what you want!" Why would we do this to our children?
Not only should we be teaching our children that they have to earn certain things (other than for birthdays and Christmas), but we also need to teach children that money should go for other things too....like tithes, and church ministries, and charities. Children must be TAUGHT that they are to put God before everything else, and that it's not about how many toys or games or presents you get; it's about what you can give, and how you give, and what you use your gifts and time for.
Like I said before, I am so far from perfect it's not funny, and I am far from being the perfect mother! One thing I can honestly say, however, is that I absolutely refuse to allow my children to be raised thinking that their goal in life is to see how many 'things' they can purchase or gain. I can only hope and pray that those people in my life who are teaching their children the direct opposite will come to their senses and think about what they are doing to their children. Many people feel like they are doing a good thing by giving their children everything they want, but in all honesty they are creating a greedy, money-hungry adult. I don't want to seem judgemental, but I am greatly concerned for the future of these children. I pray, in Jesus' name, that the parents and the adults in these situations will start thinking of the future as well.
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