In order to purify gold; to take it from ore found in the ground to high enough quality for use for jewelry, electronics, and other things, it is heated to melting. When this is done, the impurities and other metals separate and the pure gold can be removed.

Peter uses this illustration in 1 Peter 1:6-7, he says “although you may have to suffer for a short time in various trials. Such trials show the proven character of your faith, which is much more valuable than gold – gold tested by fire. ”

God lets us experience trials, setbacks, disappointments, to develop us and make us better. Our job is to stay in faith and use these trials to refine our faith and character, so we come out of it stronger and more capable.

Dear Lord help us remember that you are there to help us through our trials, and You are refining us so we can be a better Christian person. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Just before the Jews entered the land God promised to them, modern day Israel, after they were led out of Egypt by Moses, Moses gave them something we might call a charge, or duty which is applicable for us today.

He said in Deuteronomy 4:40, “I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord your God is giving you for all time.”

The commands Moses gave them, recorded in Deuteronomy 5, were what we call the Ten Commandments today; In my words, Put all your trust in God and don’t make other things more important than Him, show respect for God’s name, go to church, respect and honor your parents and authorities; Don’t murder, commit sexual sins, steal, lie, or desire something so much that you would do wrong to get it.

In Deuteronomy 5:33 he tells them, “Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives.”

Dear Lord, Your directions are clear; Help us follow them, because they are the instruction manual for our lives, to make it work well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There is an age, maybe 4 or 5 years old, where children seem to be just amazed about everything. When someone captures their attention, they will listen intently, with respect, to learn all they can. They believe what they are being taught and ask questions out of curiosity not suspicion. It is truly amazing to watch.

In Mark 10:14,15, Jesus tells the disciples , “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”

We need to approach our Christian faith in this way. With humble curiosity, and a desire to learn and accept.

Dear Lord, help us let our guard down, and come to you with the faith of a child. Help us believe your teaching and promises with curiosity not suspicion. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

One of the challenges we have, at times as Christians, is understanding what God wants us to do with our lives. Sometimes it seems so clear, and other times, not so much.

Jesus says to the disciples in Matthew 10:39 (NIV version), “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” The Message translation gives an interesting variation, “If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.”

I found the Message translation to be a very helpful way to interpret this verse and to determine what God wants us to do. If we focus on demonstrating our love for God by following His direction, spelled out in the Bible, loving others, and sharing the Christian message of hope, other parts of our life will come along.

It is a bit like tuning an instrument, like a guitar. On a guitar, you can get one string in tune, then play the same note on that string and another string in order to tune the second string. If the notes are very close, but not exactly in tune, there is what is called “dissonance” between the sounds. The dissonance can be heard as an uncomfortable tremolo or “beating” sound; As one of the strings is tuned closer and closer to the other’s pitch, the beating gets slower and slower and eventually goes away, resulting in one nice sound, in unison.

As the verse in Matthew says, when we adjust ourselves to God’s standard, the dissonance goes away and we are in unison with God’s will.

Dear Lord, You have a plan for each of us. Help us remember to tune our plans to your will and we will accomplish both. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think a challenging paradox or conflict in life is that dissatisfaction with something is what motivates us to improve it. When we make improvements, we make life better for ourselves and others. However, it is hard to be happy and enjoy ourselves when we are dissatisfied.

One potential solution to this paradox is to start with a thankful heart, then look at improving as a way to serve, rather than looking at things as broken and needing repair. For example, if our car is dirty and needs a wash, we could start with, “my car looks terrible, I am going to get it washed.” or we can approach it as, “It is a beautiful day, I’m going to get my car washed and it is going to look great.” It seems like a subtle difference, but it is obvious to those around us, and affects our perspective on everything.

Psalm 118:24 is a classic verse to put ourselves in that thankful mindset, “This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” and, Psalm 118:29, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”

We all have so much for which to be thankful! even if everything has room for improvement.

Dear Lord, Help us wake up and start each day remembering that we have very much for which to be happy, most importantly our Salvation. Help us show this thankful joy in our demeanor to attract others to what we have in you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.