Gods Crucible

Gen 22:1-19
Have you ever seen gold being refined? It is actually a very interesting process. Gold material, either paned or mined is washed. This cleans away all the muck and mud. It is then dried with direct heat to remove any water from the cleaning. Only then is it ready for the crucible. It is heated to over 2500 degrees. At that temperature it is liquid and all the impurities are burned away. Depending on how impure the gold ore is, it may take several times of this process to remove them all.
Seeing this brought Abraham to mind. I can not begin to understand as a father, what it must have been like to start off on a very long journey, knowing the express God given intent of the trip was to execute your son. Isaac was the child of Gods promises to Abraham. The first of countless descendents and he was to offer him as a sacrifice. Verse 2 of today's reading tells us he woke, made al the preparations for the trip and departed. No questions, no debates, no focus group to study this dream; God said do and Abraham did it. Hebrews chapter 11 tells us his obedience was credited to him as righteousness. Often in our lives we are placed in situations where our dedication and resolve to FOLLOW Jesus is tested. Many times actually. Like the gold which is of much less value, we find ourselves in Gods crucible. Heated, under pressure, under stress. These are refining times. Times for us to see what we are made of. God already knows it is us that need to see. God knows there are "impurities" in us that need to be refined. Only by our Faith and our DESIRE to be holy, combined with the Strength of the Holy Spirt, can we endure. All fragments of our desire to Self rule must be cleansed. As Oswald Chambers said, "If the cup God has given you is sweet, drink it with grace. If it is bitter, drink knowing we will be better for it." Understanding that GOd is making us better through this process helps us to understand 1st Samuel 15:22 (Obedience is better than sacrifice) and Romans 8:28 becomes clearly etched in our hearts. This world is not our final destination. We have the work of God while we are here. It is his awesome love for us that is the refining fire of his Crucible. Let us pray:    
Lord, your desire for man has never wavered. Your work in us will not end until you call us from this mission field we call life. What glory awaits us in Heaven. This world is only a temporary home. Until then, you will refine us as Gold. Purifying us through situations, some of our making, some as natural affects of a fallen world. Refine us Lord until we shine like a mirror, one that reflects the face Jesus. It is in his name we pray, Amen.