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Malachi 3:3 Outside of the Box

By Anonymous
A while back I received this in an email:

Malachi 3:3 says:
"He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver."
This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.
One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.

As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it"

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has his eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you.

Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them and, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end.

Lets think outside of the box about this -

It has been my experience that every personally pleasurable (good) thing that happens has a personally displeasing aspect (bad) and every bad experience has a good part too. There isn't one without the other. Pleasure and displeasure go hand in hand. This is a two edged sword.

Both the "good" and "bad" teach me how to be a better human being.

We humans are so silly. 

Why do we have to imagine that God is sitting around personally fiddling with our lives? Or that he even has angels and people to do it for him? IMHO - That's a very small minded trifling kind of God.

Does being so important to God as to have to be "tested" really quiet the fear of not really knowing what comes after this life or does it make us feel better loved and safer than our neighbors? It doesn't for me and judging by how insecure most people who say they believe in this kind of God act, it doesn't really cut it for them either.

Why can't we just accept life as an imperfect state and see that we have the opportunity to make what we will out of it?

Why can't we be kind and unobtrusive to our fellow humans just because that's the right thing to do? Why can't we love and forgive other's in their humanity because we are human too?

I feel that is Christ's message. He stated we are all sons of God... It rains on the just and the unjust... Love those who hate you... Forgive... Tolerate...

Live while you are alive instead of counting your mansions in heaven!

It is when we allow fear and hatred to rule our minds and hearts we suffer. And how is that a trial from God? It is your personal hang-up, not anything more.

For me, blaming an outside force is a waste of time.

There's only one way to find peace and security in this life and that is to live in a positive, grateful and understanding state of mind.

You will always be just as happy as you make-up your mind to be.

Love to all,
Believe Jesus
Rev. Kita Kazoo
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