Refiners Fire: Necessary Pain
by Candace Crandall

“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart (Proverbs 17:3, NIV).”
“And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times (Psalm 12:6, NIV)”
“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 the proven genuineness of your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus is revealed
(1 Peter 1:6-7, NIV).
 
Beads of sweat began to trickle down His brow. But, He hardly felt their trail as His gaze was transfixed by the dance of the flames and the treasure hidden within. The treasure in the furnace needed watchful care; if the heat was too high the heart of His treasure would grow harder-not enough heat and the impurities would continue to adhere to the heart, distorting, contorting, and twisting the purity of the picture He was trying to create. He knows well the process to purity; He, after all, is a Master at His craft. He had journeyed with many from their rawest form to final righteousness. The procedure was intentional and often painful beginning with a hammer.
 
Much like the task of uncovering gold, the hammer was used to break the coagulated parts of her heart into pieces.  While this hurt, she knew it was necessary to uncover the hope and the promise of the prize hidden inside (Jeremiah 23:29, NIV). She knew His Masterful hands had a purpose as he placed each piece lovingly into the furnace-it was Him; His reflection in her soul is what He sought. She had submitted herself to His hands and knew He would take care as He molded her into His image...it was the pain that took her by surprise and the toll the affliction seemed to take on her soul. Fire. Fire is needed to withdraw the world from the heart.
 
The first couple of times He had ignited the flames she felt like she withstood the test. Just as she began to melt He retrieved her and wiped the dross from the world aside. She could see how the impure elements had merged with her spirit and felt their release as she was drawn to the heat. But, by the time the fifth and sixth pass through the flames occurred she was keenly aware of the intensity of the heat and deep panic rose within as she wilted and waned in the extreme. She had lost sight of the Master Craftsman as the flames engulfed and ignited her core. The seventh time He approached her she grabbed His arm and begged Him not to send her in. His eyes filled with tears, softening with compassion. He had seen this before. The test once believed passed was drawing her to an end. An end that she grieved because she would feel there was nothing left; no faith; no hope; no courage. But, He knew this end within her was the REAL beginning of Him-His image looking back meant the heat had dug deep into the recesses of her spirit and released the hold the world had so tightly had on her. What she knew now as death He knew she would also see as birth later. For within the fire of affliction, His compassion is born; new life is given as her strength is ended and His strength received; and her faith in her self-abilities, self-reliance, and self-sufficiency transformed to genuine faith in Him and His grace.
 
As He reached into the fire to draw her out once more; He tenderly wiped what little residue remained that tarnished His reflection. She weakly reached up and said, “I have nothing left to give. The fire has consumed my soul; the aches and pains have taken their toll. Where once a person I knew existed, there is now only a shell with etchings of a memory that had hope of potential to share. ” He gently touched her cheek and whispered, “My child, I know. The end of you has brought the beginning of me and I AM all that you need. My grace is sufficient for thee and the shell you see is a prized possession to me. For it is not empty of promise and hope but full of the knowledge of my Spirit and His presence in you. And, that is the spring that sings of life blossomed anew; for it is my image the world will see in you.”
 

This spring I spent a good amount of time pruning around my yard and my grandpa’s farm.  As I’ve tended the plants in order to make them more fruitful, the words of Jesus in the Upper Room Discourse about vines, branches, and pruning make a whole lot more sense. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.  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.”  It seems we often talk about the unfruitful branch getting thrown away and burned, but lose sight of what happens to the fruitful branch: it too gets cut, only it is pruned, not removed.  The fruitful branch is pruned with great purpose: that it may bear more fruit.  When it comes to plants, pruning requires cutting back, making the plant smaller. But a pruned plant will be healthier, bearing fruit that will be more robust and delicious. 
 

Pruning is a time-consuming process of analyzing the shape of the plant and determining what branches need to be cut back or modified in order for the plant to bear more fruit.  Some cuts are obvious, like the removal of water shoots, commonly called suckers.  What a fitting name as these are parts of the tree that stick straight up, making it look more impressive in height and bulk, but they actually suck the energy out of the plant and do not bear fruit.  Other cuts are harder to discern as they help the plant get light to all its branches or allow for increased air circulation, preventing disease.  Pruning can train a tree into a particular shape, making fruit more accessible.  Pruning is also difficult because you can see the potential fruits you are cutting off--that could have been a delicious apple! 
 

In the hours I’ve spent pruning, I have carefully examined each plant, cutting branches back carefully and intentionally, igniting reflection on my own life.  What are the suckers that I need to cut out without hesitating, in order to be more fruitful?  They might make me look bigger, busier, and more impressive, but ultimately they decrease my fruitfulness as a follower of Jesus and the Kingdom economy does not value size and status.  What branches are bearing fruit but might be inhibiting light from reaching other branches in my life?  Ultimately if I remove these, I will be more fruitful and healthy.  This spring has brought difficult decisions of pruning in my life, but ultimately they have been life-giving and freeing.   
 

Pruning isn’t an easy business, whether on a tree or in our own lives.  But by the grace of God, we have a loving vinedresser who gently guides us, we need only to ask for His help. When something is removed from our lives, we may feel the sting that we have been pruned when something is removed from our lives, but we can choose to trust the purpose of the pruning: to bear more fruit, ultimately bringing glory to our loving vinedresser. 

Soli Deo Gloria 
by Becky James 

Running low on hope
Then Jesus spoke
and He said these words to me
 
You are planted like
a tree by the stream
With Blessings promised
by the olive tree
 
Have a little faith,
just a mustard seed
is all it takes,
to Believe in me
 
In Jesus' name
That's how to pray
Then wait patiently
in humble faith
 
Some days will take all you've got
Know you're covered, know you're bought
By the blood of Jesus, at the cross
 
When you're feeling lost
Or low on hope
Always know, Jesus paid your cost
And tomorrow will be better than today
 
Have a little faith

 

Location: Portland, OR
Instructor: Whitney Woolard
Dates: October 19-20, 2018