“Hi, Mom….Ummmm….is dad there?” This phone greeting was a regular occurrence during our girls’ college years. It’s not that I didn’t talk to them. We talked a lot. We talked about dating, classes, papers, friends and outings. I spent hours on the phone listening to tiny details of who wore what, who went where, and who …
God’s Raspberry Seed
Have you ever noticed how all your past journal entries are filled with the same problem? Or how your past crises have all centered around the same issue? That annoying raspberry seed is important to God. Often, in my own life, I hear God’s conviction about something I consider minor, then move on to tweak something else. I want …
Peter’s Easter Weekend
The Apostle Peter missed the crucifixion. Doesn’t that seem rather odd? Peter had walked on water (Matthew 14:29), saw Jesus transfigured (Matthew 17:1-4) and testified Jesus to be the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). Simon Peter had paid Jesus’ temple tax (Matthew 17:27) and stood nearby when Jesus raised a little girl from the dead (Luke 8:51). In fact, Peter’s name …
In His Presence
Holy Father, Thank You for choosing me. It’s amazing to think that I am not only chosen for eternal life, but actually chosen to obey (1 Peter 1:2). Yet, I know myself. Left as I am, I have no capacity for spiritual growth. I am selfish and want things to center around me. Thank You that …
You are of great value.
“Everything that can stand the fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean, but it shall be purified with water for impurity. But whatever cannot stand the fire you shall pass through the water” (Numbers 31:23). You can stand the fire, not just the washing of water. You have been crushed and …
A Glimpse of Brilliance
“…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…” 1 Peter 1:7 The more that I learn about the process of refining gold, the more I learn that there is no set process. Although the same basic methods are utilized, the order may be somewhat changed according to the properties of the original ore. Our …
Refining – will I make it through?
“…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…” 1 Peter 1:7 Smelting. The final stage of the refinement process. It’s not just “melting” because the process is more than just heat. Smelting also uses a chemical agent to pull the final oxygen atoms from the raw gold mineral. Spiritual smelting, like its physical counterpart, …
Getting worse or getting better?
“…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…” 1 Peter 1:7 So far, our refinement process has just resulted in one big mess. In fact, I have found that before seeing any outward progress in my spiritual walk, my life looks far worse than it does better. The slurry of our lives are all too obvious …
The Separation Continues…
“…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…” 1 Peter 1:7 Let’s look at the next step in this gold extraction process. It’s now time to mix the ground rock with liquid and something to make the whole thing froth….yeah, we want bubbles…on purpose. Next, into all those bubbles, we add an oily ingredient. Gold …
The Process of Sifting
“…the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold…” 1 Peter 1:7 Unfortunately, although we may have felt crushed at times, stopping here won’t leave us with a pure faith. Because faith is the victory that overcomes, I want to go forward through the process. Let’s move together past these initial trials to watch our faith really …
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