Malachi 3:2-3
Who can endure the day of His coming
And who can stand the day He appears?
For He is like a refiners fire and like a
launderers soap
He will sit as a refiner and purifier of
silver;
He will purge the sons of Levi
And purge them as gold and silver
That they may offer to the Lord
An offering in righteousness
The refiner’s fire that Jesus takes us through,
He went through Himself. He went through it and suffered and died for our sake
so that we would not have to deal with the flames ourselves. Jesus took that
fire upon Himself, though He did not have to, and Jesus offers us salvation
from our sins because of what he did.
But then Jesus tells us that if we truly want to
follow Him, we are going to have to go where He leads. Jesus doesn't promise us
complete prosperity and ease of life. What Jesus does promise is a life that is
good.
1Peter 1:6-7
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you
may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that
the proven genuineness of your faith - greater worth than gold, which perishes
even though refined by fire - may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus
Christ is revealed.
