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Romans 5:3-4

The Refiner’s Fire

God uses problems to direct me, inspect me, correct me, protect me, and God also uses the problems in my life to improve my faith. In Romans 5:3-4, Paul tells us, “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us – they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.”

In the New Testament, we seem to find the picture of the Gardner or vinedresser with Jesus representing the vine itself, and we’re the branches. God, the great horticulturist, does the pruning.  Jesus teaches us that pruning seems to be for productivity. It’s the pruning that helps us become more fruitful. The Old Testament writers seem to use the idea of the refiner to talk about God’s work in our lives. Just as the silversmith purifies the silver through his furnace, God also purifies His people through the furnace of affliction. This refinement process is designed to make us holy rather than productive. So, both processes are designed to perfect us. Pruning makes us better at producing fruit. Refining makes us more like Christ.

The thing to remember is that both processes are painful, but both processes can work out for the best in all of our lives. The determining factor, however, is always how I respond to my life’s problems. Responding biblically will always bring great advances in character and productivity. I love what the old commentator, Alexander Maclaren, said, “The true meaning of life is not to be found by estimating its sorrows or its joys, but by trying to estimate the effects of either upon us. The true value of life, and the meaning of all its tears and of all its joys, is what it makes us. … He who carries away with him out of life a character molded as God would have it does not go in all points ‘naked as he came.’ He bears a developed self, and that is the greatest treasure that a man can carry out of the multitudinous toils of the busiest life. If we would think less of our hard work and of our heavy sorrows and more of the loving purpose that appoints them all, we should find life less difficult, less toilsome, and less mysterious. That one thought taken to our hearts and honestly applied to everything that befalls us would untie many a riddle, would wipe away many a tear, would bring peace and patience into many a heart, and would make still brighter many a gladness. Without it, our lives are a chaos; with it, they would become an ordered world.”

Proverbs 2:7-8, Psalm 18:2

My Fortress

Proverbs 2:7-8 says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to Him.” The Psalmists sing in Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress…” Most scholars agree that the metaphors of a shield and a fortress speak to us of God’s protection. I would not normally think of my pains in life as God’s shield or His fortress that serves to protect me from harm, but that seems to be the case. The word for fortress is the same word for “Masada.” That’s the place that David would run to in order to escape his enemies who intended him harm. It was the place of protection into which no evil could penetrate. The Jews, escaping from the Roman army, ran to Masada and were able to hold out for years.

God uses pain in my life to direct me, to inspect me, to correct me, and often, He even uses pain in my life to protect me.  Our pains often drive us to the rock, the shield, and the fortress of God’s protection. One website regarding the purpose of pain says, “The first thing to remember is that pain is the body’s natural response under various conditions. When the brain believes it has encountered a threat to the tissues, it creates a feeling of pain in order to get the person to stop that activity. For instance, if there were no pain when touching a fire or hot surface, this would not mean that the tissues would not be damaged. In fact, the damage would continue, but without pain, the person may just allow the damage to destroy the skin and other tissues completely. Pain gets us moving away from what the brain perceives as dangers to our health and well-being.” But pain is more complex than that. It not only drives us away from the situation, it drives us to the source of healing.

Max Lucado quotes John Trent and Gary Smalley (A Dad’s Blessing) regarding the protection of God. They write, “What does a child say when he is face to face with the neighborhood bully? ‘My brother is bigger than your brother.’ ‘My dad is stronger than your dad.’ Then, adults get into the act. A bumper sticker sighted on a Los Angeles freeway read, ‘My lawyer is better than your lawyer.’ What does a three-year-old do when he gets a knot in his shoelaces? He runs to Daddy. What does a five-year-old girl do when she falls and skins her knee? She cries to Mommy for comfort. When faced with a problem, danger, difficulty, or sadness, we naturally go to someone who is bigger, stronger, and more powerful. Just as a child wants to crawl up on Daddy’s lap or have Mommy’s arms wrapped around him, so we go to our heavenly Father. He is the fortress that protects us from attack, the refuge that grants us asylum from persecution, the safe harbor that shelters us from the storms of life.”

Proverbs 29:15, Hebrews 12:17

Loose Wires!

God often uses pain and suffering in my life to correct me when I need it. Sometimes, it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach us this truth.  Proverbs 29:15 says, “A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a youth left to himself is a disgrace…” Hebrews 12:17 says, “Let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never corrected?” A man came up to two boys fighting in the park. He took one aside and began to spank him for his inappropriate behavior. An observing bystander came up to the man and asked indignantly why he didn’t do anything to the other boy. The man responded that this one was his own son and the other was not. I know spanking is an unpopular form of discipline today, but I hate to think where I’d be personally if I didn’t face my father’s spankings. The same could be said of my sons. I want you to know that even though the mass media frown upon it, spanking is still legal in all 50 states as long as it does not leave scars. There are times when I feel God is spanking me. God’s “rod” and His “staff” comfort me. That he takes the time to deal personally with me is a demonstration of His love.

Alexander Maclaren wrote, “If we want to be taught anything, we shall not flinch from the rod. There must be pains undergone in order to win knowledge of any sort, and the man who rebels against these shows that he would rather be comfortable and ignorant than wise. A pupil who will not stand having his exercises corrected will not learn his faults. On the other hand, hating reproof is ‘brutish’ in the most literal sense, for it is characteristic of animals that they do not understand the purpose of pain and never advance because they do not. Men can grow because they can submit to discipline; beasts cannot improve because, except partially and in a few cases, they cannot accept correction.”

Because of our own selfish natures, we all need correction from time to time. It is absolutely essential for true spiritual growth as well as normal emotional development. Since this is the case with suffering, C. S. Lewis observed, “…We must anticipate that it will never cease till God sees the world to be either redeemed or no further redeemable.”  Someone said, “Loose wires give out no musical notes, but when their ends are fastened, the piano, the harp, or the violin is born. Free steam drives no machine but harnessed and confined with piston and turbine, it makes possible the great world of machinery. An unhampered river drives no dynamos, but dam it up, and you can generate sufficient power to light a great city. So our lives must be disciplined if we are to be of any real service in the world.”

Revelation 1:5-6

Free At Last!!

Jesus sets us free from the power of sin and guilt. He wants us to live a healthy and wholesome life. Yet, he knows our makeup and our nature. He realizes we are sinners and that we’ll always struggle in this life with feelings of guilt; some phantom and some real. But He died on Calvary’s cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to deliver us from the punishment for it, the power of it as we grow in God’s grace, and from the presence of it completely in paradise. Yet, the process of being delivered from its power is dependent upon our comprehension of the depth of God’s love for us. As our roots sink down into the rich soil of God’s love (As Paul prays for us) we come to a deeper and deeper appreciation of His vast, immeasurable love for us. John writes in the opening verses of the Book of Revelations a commendation of praise to Jesus for His love. In Revelation 1:5-6 we read, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Guilt made Adam and Eve blame each other for their sin.  Guilt and shame made them try to cover their sin and guilt made them run from and hide from the God who made them and loved them. Although the relationship continued, the trust was never the same. Yet, God in His grace provided a covering; the skin of a sacrificed lamb. Because of the blood of the sacrificed Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, we can have perfect and complete forgiveness. But our guilt must be confessed. “If” and only “if we confess our sins…” we receive God’s forgiveness. John also tells us that “if we say we have no sin” we lie, and we’re not walking in the truth.

Today, in keeping with the practices of Adam and Eve, we hide from our sins. We run from God. We blame others for our problems, yet we live enslaved completely. We live with the punishment, power, and presence of our true guilt. Yet, we scream “I’m free, I’m free.” Cecil Sherman writes, “These days there is an all-out assault on guilt. Some schools of counseling have declared war on guilt. If you have it, you are trapped in an old, repressive way of thinking. Get rid of guilt. Free yourself from the baggage of a Puritan morality, and you will fly like a bird. You will be un-caged, loosed.” He goes on to warn us, “Watch this trash talk. Guilt is to the soul as nerves are to the body. Guilt awakens you to moral danger as nerves alert the body to a burn or a blow. You are in moral danger when you are guilty.” Guilt is not the residue of “bad religion.” It’s God’s alarm clock to wake us to the reality of our sins. Guilt, true guilt, is God’s wonderful gift of His grace to move us to confession and repentance that results in real life, a life in which we’re set free in all ways imaginable.

Proverbs 20:30, 22:15

God’s Shout

The English Standard Version of the Bible translates Proverbs 20:30 as “Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts.” But my favorite translation of this verse is from the Good News Bible. It renders that passage as, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” I don’t know about you, but I hate pain. I always want the Novocain when I go to the dentist. I’m very thankful for the various pain relief medications that are out there. I will usually take an extra step or two to avoid any pain. Life would be so much better if there were no pain. It seems the older I get, the more pain I have. I can hurt myself just rolling over in bed in the middle of the night. If I move too fast, I get dizzy and have to stop and get my bearings. Even that little painful lesson is teaching me to move slowly.

Yet, God uses pain to help us see that something is wrong. I read about Grade-school student Ashlyn Blocker. The article said she “is one of a very few people who suffers from congenital insensitivity to pain (CIPA) with anhidrosis (inability to sweat)—a rare genetic disorder. She can’t tell if her food is too hot; if she falls on the playground and skins her knee, she won’t know it until her teacher sees the blood; if she gets overheated, she won’t perspire; if she gets too cold, she won’t shiver.” The author of the article concludes that “The way God has created us, pain is a blessing; it is a ‘wake-up call’ to the fact that something is wrong with our bodies.” Pain makes us stop and take a deeper look at ourselves and often drives home a lesson we may not have learned without it.

Some of the pain I experience in life, I have to admit, I’ve brought on myself through one bad decision or another.  I shouldn’t have lifted all those boxes by myself! Another passage in Proverbs says, “All children are foolish, but firm correction will make them change” (Proverbs 22:15). Regardless of the root cause of our pain, it can still serve a good purpose. If there were no pain, I’d lose the most valuable warning system that God has created in me for my physical well-being.  With regard to emotional and spiritual sufferings in my life, if there were no pain, it would be as if God was saying “I’m through with you.” Pain is evidence that God has not abandoned us. Pain is often the loving act of a compassionate, loving God, designed to bring us back. C. S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures; he speaks to us in our work; he shouts at us in our pain.” One author surmised, “Every one of us knows that there have been times when we would not listen to God or pay any attention to what his Word was saying until finally he used a severe discipline to get our attention so that we would listen.” Whether the Good News Bible has an accurate translation of this verse or not, it is true. It does, very often, take a painful experience to make us change our ways.

Proverbs 20:30, Various

Changing Directions

I believe that every problem in our lives has a purpose. God never wastes pain. He uses it sparingly and always with a purpose. It’s the wise person who seeks to understand how God wants to work in our lives through the various kinds of suffering that He allows us to enter into. The wisest man in the world, Solomon, often reflects on the purpose of pain and problems in life. From his reflections in the book of Proverbs, we can learn about why God permits pain and problems in our lives. The first purpose I see is that God often uses a problem to direct me. I mean, God often closes a door in my face because he wants me to take a different direction. I am such a strong-willed individual that God will sometimes have to slam the door on me.

There are two passages in Proverbs that teach this truth. Proverbs 20:30 says, “Sometimes it takes a painful experience to make us change our ways.” The other passage is in Proverbs 22:15. It reads, “All children are foolish, but firm correction will make them change.”   This truth is also seen in the New Testament. Hebrews 12:6 says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves…” We all need discipline once in a while and God is faithful to provide it. That discipline is designed to change our path or redirect our steps to help us along our way on this journey of life. Like Jonah, I often don’t want to go where God wants me to go. I don’t always want to do what God wants me to do. Yet, I know His ways are best, and the best thing I can do is submit to his discipline and redirect my path.

God often uses tough times to redirect our paths. It’s during those times we need to trust deeply in the loving concern God has for all His children: you and me! Knowing the Father’s love and concern should change the way we look at trials. He does not allow us to experience problems and struggles for no purpose. One of the main purposes of problems is to redirect our thoughts and actions. For those problems to be truly effective, we must trust God. Another verse from Proverbs brings true perspective on the directions I should take in life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” I like the way the old King James Version translates this passage. It says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

John 15:1-2, Various

The Pruning Process

Just as the vinedresser (God) has to prune the vines to make them more productive, God does the same with us. In John 15:1-2, Jesus says that we are the branches and He is the vine, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” The process of pruning is always to make us better. It’s always for our own good. There’s an interesting process associated with pruning. We are all at one of three stages with regard to it. We may have just been pruned. We may be growing back after having been pruned, or we may be in full bloom after having been pruned.

We love it when things are really going great in life. We should truly enjoy it and celebrate. But we must never forget that another pruning will be coming sooner or later. I know this because no matter how much pruning you and I have experienced, we are never going to be perfect. There is always more work to be done on us. God is faithful. Paul says, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). I like the NASB (New American Standard Bible) translation of this passage because it focuses on the fact that if we have breath, God is still working on us and He will keep on working on us until we either go to be with Christ, or Christ comes to be with us. The pruning process is never over! Realizing this truth keeps us humble at those times when we are most productive.

Maybe you have just experienced a very serious pruning and are overwhelmed with how naked and bare you look to yourself and others. To survive this stage, we must constantly remind ourselves of God’s infinite goodness. The Psalmist explains how to handle this stage. In Psalm 142:2, we read, “I pour out my problems to him; I tell him my troubles.” Maybe you’ve moved beyond the barren stage and are just beginning to sprout new life. One writer says about this situation, “Your growth will be stunted if you spend your time looking back on your last pruning with regret instead of gratitude.” This is one problem I’m always wrestling with. It’s so tempting to hold on to the pains of the pruning and become bitter and resentful. The writer goes on to say, “Let me encourage you to let it go as you rejoice in the strength gained to move on to the next level.” When God prunes us, it always results in a greater good as well as a sweeter fruit. James simply tells us to let that happen. He says that these pains and problems produce steadfastness, “And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (See James 1:3-4).

John 15:1, Various

It’s All Good!

Studying the Bible can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. If we open our hearts to the truths contained therein, we find many of the puzzling questions in life have reasonable answers.  This is especially true regarding the presence of evil in the world and pain in our own lives. The scriptures teach us that God is a God of love and only allows problems in our lives as the baker allows some nasty ingredients into the recipe because when the cake comes out of the oven, it’s better to have those ingredients. His promise is both old, Jeremiah 29:11 and new, Romans 8:28. He promises us that regardless of the current situation, all things will work out in the end for our good. His good plans and purposes for us will never be derailed by any person, pain, or problem. Jesus taught his disciples this truth on several different occasions.

Jesus explained to His disciples that God intentionally uses our pain, problems, and people to make us all that he wants us to be.  All our problems, pressures, pains, and difficult people are part of God’s plan to make us more productive!   Jesus says that he is “the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). Now that he has disciples, and us as well, thinking about growing grapes (fruit) on vines and that process, He moves on to something that they are all very familiar with;  the necessity of pruning. He says in the next verse, “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

When we think about it, I expect every believer understands this concept. In fact, I’d expect many believers know too much about this already. It seems the most painful pruning experiences in life are brought on by the hands and words of others. God will often use difficult people in our lives to prune us. It might involve ugly things people say to or about us. It might just be operating in an environment where you are certain your style, personality, or appearance is something that is just unacceptable.  Over my years in ministry, I’ve faced and still face many people weekly who disapprove of me and my style. God will use them for good in my life.  It doesn’t matter what their intentions are; God always means it for my good. That’s what our faith is all about. Joseph learned this truth about his own brothers, who wanted to kill him but ended up selling him into slavery. When the power to retaliate was in his hands, he simply stated, “You meant it for bad, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). God always means it for good for you and me, too.

 

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