Blessed Through The Fire

so the proving of your faith (more precious than gold that perishes) proven by fire, now, [you are,] found to the praise and glory and revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:7)

There exists a state when the mind becomes firm and steadfast under pressure, affliction, persecution... James writes, blessed is the one remaining steadfast under the trial as he comes into existence proven, receiving the crown of life (James 1:12). Earlier James writes, that endurance has the intended purpose of maturing us, which outcome is wholeness, lacking in nothing (James 1:3-4). To the one seeking not the kingdom and righteousness of this world, wholeness and lacking in nothing are treasures of life, something to be crowned with life. Prosperity of the soul is more precious than silver and gold. Maturity that is produced during the proving of the trial is a blessing through the fire.

Paul prays that God would grant us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing Christ (Ephesians 1:17). Something powerful happens in knowing more and more of Christ, in fact, Paul counted all things as loss in order to gain Christ, to know him, have fellowship in his suffering, being conformed to his death, in order to attain his life (Philippians 3:10). Suffer, die, and come into life. The proving in the fire is the suffering, it is a trial by fire. If you have ever been there, you understand the pressure coming from all sides, you understand how Jesus could sweat blood before he was crucified.

blessed are those persecuted for righteousness sake because theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:10-12)

We could be persecuted for doing good or spreading the gospel. But this can be looked at in another way. For righteousness' sake you encounter persecution and are blessed. God is sovereign, he allows the persecution, and the trial by fire is so that you mature and bear fruit of righteousness. Thus you are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. It is enduring the thorns that are trying to choke you out, which brings about maturity and bearing of fruit. The blessing comes through the fire.

The persecution comes from those doing you wrong. Its affliction upon you is so difficult to bear, you cry out to God but it continues. You understand somewhat of Jesus's word, Father why have you forsaken me. Then comes the blessing, not the way you expected nor maybe not even how, but it comes with such glory, that you would say the trial was all worth it. And if it had to be done all over again, Lord do it again, because the reward is greater than the pain of suffering. That which was like being in a fire now has become a blessing. The master smith has done his work, burning off the dross, making you purer.

Let us see it from the perspective of a practical example. The persecution comes. Jesus said, "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). Jesus might use you as a testimony in this or he might not. The blessing is through receiving the wisdom and if you lack wisdom ask God in faith. If the trial is so some might come to Christ and the gospel spreads, joy! But loving that person who brings affliction upon you might not be meant to change them, but you. Loving those who persecute you frees you from the wrong that afflicts you. It might not stop the persecution or change the person but it frees you.

One of the snares of the devil, as mentioned in the parable of sowing, also called a thorn, is persecution used to afflict you so you will fall away. The snare is to get you to look in a fleshly manner at earthly circumstances; the injustice happening to you. You become so focused on the circumstances, even trying to justify your own actions toward your persecutor, that you can no longer see by faith but only by sight. Trying to lean on your own understanding it gets worse and worse because you will never be able to understand it from an earthly perspective. There is a time to stand for truth and a time to let God be the avenger. Maturity is being able to discern when.

The blessing comes in a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing Jesus, freeing you from such captivity of mind so you are no longer afflicted by the one afflicting you. Our battle being not of flesh and blood. Words of your heavenly Father penetrate affliction's bondage saying powerful words of truth like you are my child and no one can harm you; I love you and no one can separate you from my love. Words of truth experienced, wisdom received, you are crowned with life, wholeness, lacking in nothing, blessed through the fire.

The Crucible

" The LORD will go forth like a warrior, He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry. He will prevail against His enemies ." 1 He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. The definition of zeal is great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective. It is this time, to arouse zeal, shout, raise a war cry! As Paul writes, " In diligence not lagging in spirit being fervent serving the Lord ." 2 Our energy comes in the bond of brotherhood, formed in the crucible of combat. A crucible is place of severe test or trial, it is derived from Latin crucibulum ("night-lamp, metallurgic melting-pot"), and is a derivative of crux ("cross"). 3 The Bible speaks of the crucible of the cross for Jesus and for those who follow Him. The purpose of a soldier is two-fold; to accomplish the mission and to care for one another, as commanded. Each soldier has a role to play on a team. Without knowin...

One Grace

" moreover, One, to each of us has been given Grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ ." 1 Grace is a founding principle of Christianity. It is by Grace we grow into the fullness of Christ through faith; " to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. " 2 Without Grace we will never reach this fullness. The weakness in the Law was it attempted to do it in the flesh, and people failed over and over, so God in His infinite wisdom, unveiled this mystery, through faith in Christ we have grace to boldly approach His throne of Grace, to receive grace and mercy as needed! This gift of Grace is properly understood by examining this verse in three parts; moreover, One Grace, to each of us has been given, according to the measure of the gift of Christ . First, we understand, One grace, it is easy to miss the One, and this verse is translated in different ways, I believe it says One Grace and i...

Those He Calls He Equips

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen . Hebrews 13:20-21 When God calls us he equips us, the God of Peace, the one who brought us from the dead by the blood of the Eternal Covenant, will equip you so to do his will. So in this concept of being equipped, we see the calling being irrevocable. "For it is God who works in you to Will and to act on behalf of his good pleasure." Philippians 2:13 God called you, he's working in you equipping you to work on behalf of his good pleasure. "So that the man of God may be complete fully equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:17 . In Hebrews 12 we read God disciplines those he loves, so that we share in his holy character, as the scriptures...

Word Of Life

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life. " 1 Jesus is the Word, He was in the beginning with God. 2 All things were made through Him. He is the Word and Light of men, the way, the path, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." 4 Thus we can say as the Psalmist, Jesus, the Word, is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path. 5 "In him was life, and the life was the light of men." 6 Concerning the Word of Life, " the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life ," Proclaimed, that our joy may be complete, a glory like that in the beginning, fellowship with the Father, with one another, and with his Son Jesus Christ, the Word of Life. "You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot...

Truth All Around You

Stand then girding your loins in truth and putting on the breastplate of righteousness. * How can a soldier stand in battle if he has not been prepared, trained? How can a house stand if it has been built on sand? How can we stand against spiritual forces if we have not been prepared? Our battle is not against flesh and blood so in regards to such, what good is armor to a child or how can one stained with dirty clothes stand with a defiled conscious? To stand one must be prepared, be his workmanship, someone prepared beforehand to do battle. For this purpose you begin girding your loins in truth, putting on truth, wrapping truth all around you. ... girding your loins in truth... * The word girding is perizōnnymi (from peri "about, around" and zōnnymi "put on") meaning around about put on. Often gird your loins with truth is translated as putting on a belt. Surely we can say truth holds on the garments and confidence in truth is important in standing. I like th...

Hypocrisy and Self-righteousness

“ Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you ” Matthew 7:1–2 In Mathew 7 Jesus is speaking out against hypocrisy, he coins the term, it is exposed as a very serious sin. Because of their hypocrisy these religious leaders were leading his people astray. Today it is the same, it is a top reason why people do not attend a church. Of course we blame the sinner and hear cute little sayings like, come join us you will fit right in... which makes light of the situation. On a more serious note, Jesus gives seven woes to the Pharisees, he even warns them of hell fire and damnation, for their hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Hypocrisy is basically pretending to be something you are not, it is not to be confused with our imperfection. Our righteousness is found in Christ alone, not in self. Hypocrisy and self righteousness is usually seen by others when we in our own righteousn...

Formed Into The Same Image

because those he foreknew also he predestined, to form to the image of His Son, to the extent He exists the firstborn of many brethren . * The word for form in this verse is σύμμορφος ( symmorphos ) from sym "same, with, or together" and morphos "form or shape." We are being formed, shaped into the same image as Christ. This word has the same root word morphos as in transformed, μεταμορφόω ( metamorphos ) from meta "among, with, after" and morphos "form or shape." Into the same form as Christ we are predestined. Adam was a living soul, but Christ was a life giving Spirit. Adam was formed in the image of God but that image was corrupted. In Christ we are formed a new, so that image is being restored. To be a Christian is more than just doing good works, more than just going to heaven, we are called to be formed into an image after Christ, Christ like. who will transfigure our lowly bodies into the same form as his glorious body, according t...

Feed On Me

"Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me." 1 This "living" Jesus speaks of is eternal or everlasting Life but what does this mean? Is this life an after life in heaven as traditionally taught or something we begin to experience here on earth? We read that Life is in knowing, a personal experience, " this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent ." 2 We receive the Spirit of life when we first believed, but the true disciple of Christ is known by abiding, these have learned that Life is in eating the bread of Life and drinking living water. Life is in Christ, all else has become as rubbish but to know Christ, and the Life he gives, "so also the one who feeds on Me will live." "So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are truly My disciples. and you will know the truth, ...

First Fruit Offering

through his plan, he brought us forth through the word of truth to the extent we exist a kind of first fruit of all he created (James 1:18) There is so much in this verse that we could spend time on, like the phrase "through his plan." But we want to focus primarily on what it means for us to be the first fruit of all that God created. he has made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time (Ephesians 1:9) Paul writes one of the spiritual blessings that we receive in Christ is that God has made known to us the mystery of his will. A plan for fullness, in which he is working out according to what he purposed in Christ for our good, that we are being conformed to the image of Christ. We relate this to the phrase in our featured verse, "of all he created." Now God's glory was manifested through creation since the beginning of time. However, God's purpose and plan that is bein...

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