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- Apr 25, 2006
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Careful and prayerful
'He will purify ... and refine them like gold' Malachi 3:3
If we're not careful and prayerful it's all too easy to wander off to Dead-end Street. King David was described as a man 'after God's own heart' - his dare-devil faith saw him do immense things with God. Yet even someone as clued up in God's ways as David wasn't safe from mooching off the path. David writes, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me' (Ps. 51:10 NKJ) as he reflects how far he's meandered off-track. He's committed adultery, tried to gloss over it, and now has an innocent man's blood on his hands.
All this because David thought he could have it just like Bathsheba's bikini: no strings attached. He now prays for a clean heart because he's clogged it with sin; because the dross has congested his hotline to God. In order to purify David's heart, God takes him through the refining process.
When gold is refined over extreme heat, the first thing to come to the surface is dross. The next thing to be separated from it is silver, a less precious metal that blends with the raw gold ore.
There's an important lesson here. Most of us are unable to separate the good from the best, so Malachi writes, 'He will purify ... and refine them like gold'. Do you need purifying? Get away with God and allow Him to filter out all your wrong thoughts, actions and attitudes.
written by Bob Gass
'He will purify ... and refine them like gold' Malachi 3:3
If we're not careful and prayerful it's all too easy to wander off to Dead-end Street. King David was described as a man 'after God's own heart' - his dare-devil faith saw him do immense things with God. Yet even someone as clued up in God's ways as David wasn't safe from mooching off the path. David writes, 'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me' (Ps. 51:10 NKJ) as he reflects how far he's meandered off-track. He's committed adultery, tried to gloss over it, and now has an innocent man's blood on his hands.
All this because David thought he could have it just like Bathsheba's bikini: no strings attached. He now prays for a clean heart because he's clogged it with sin; because the dross has congested his hotline to God. In order to purify David's heart, God takes him through the refining process.
When gold is refined over extreme heat, the first thing to come to the surface is dross. The next thing to be separated from it is silver, a less precious metal that blends with the raw gold ore.
There's an important lesson here. Most of us are unable to separate the good from the best, so Malachi writes, 'He will purify ... and refine them like gold'. Do you need purifying? Get away with God and allow Him to filter out all your wrong thoughts, actions and attitudes.
written by Bob Gass
