Facing Trials Like a Blacksmith
You perhaps recall the story of the blacksmith who gave his heart to God. Though conscientious in his living, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong. One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped at the little gorge to talk to him. Sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said “It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don’t want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, God’s help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can’t help wondering why it is.” The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought the same question before. But finally, he said “You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse’s shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. And this I do until it is finished.” “But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won’t stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don’t know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse’s shoe.” He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of his shop. “When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything.”
He went on, “I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don’t mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don’t throw me on the scrap heap.” - ............................................Lynell Waterman.................................................
I don't know about you, but many times in our lives... it truly seems that the harder and more sincere we try to do what is right and live for God, the more things goes against us.. Sometimes I do believe its God, placing us in His 'refiners fire' to make the best out of us... Other times, I think it is the ole devil, trying so hard to discourage us and to try to keep us from being and feeling so close to God! We just have to keep praying, and living the best we can.===========================================================
Refiner's Fire - Vineyard - YouTube============================================================
COOKING, COOKING, AND MORE COOKING .... WE'VE BEEN REALLY BUSY THIS WEEK, BUT IT'S SOMEHOW BEEN NICE TOO.. "CLOSENESS, LOVE AND FELLOWSHIP" AND WE ALL PITCH IN FOR EACH OTHER... "THANKS GOD, FOR ALL OF OUR CO-WORKERS, OUR BOSS, AND THE UNDERSTANDING, AND CLOSENESS WE SHARE" PRAYING HERE THAT THIS "CRUD" LEAVES EVERYONE.. SEEMS LIKE MANY HAVE PASSED IT AROUND, AND AROUND!!
WITCHES KETTLE TWICE TODAY, AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY... LOL------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RED HOTS, PLAYED THREE GAMES AGAIN TONIGHT... LOST ALL THREE..
PRAYING FOR LILY (AND HER FAMILY), AND HER HEALTH ISSUE.. "GOD BLESS, HEAL, AND COMFORT PLEASE AND HOPEFULLY SOON IT WILL ALL BE OVER" PRAYING FOR JAKE (AND FRANCES) THROUGH HIS HEALTH ISSUE.. AGAIN "GOD BLESS, HEAL AND COMFORT PLEASE AND HOPEFULLY SOON THIS WILL ALL BE BEHIND YOU" PRAYING FOR EVERYONE LOOKING FOR A JOB.. HOPE THEY WILL SOON BE PLENTIFUL! "GOD BLESS" PRAYING FOR EVAN AND ALL THE OTHER LITTLE ONES THAT HAVE DREADFUL DISEASES.. "GOD BLESS, HEAL AND COMFORT THEM PLEASE AND THEIR FAMILIES" AND PRAYING FOR YOU AND YOURS TONIGHT AND EVERY NIGHT.. (PRAY PLEASE THAT WE'LL GET THE INFORMATION SOON THAT WE HAVE WAITED MANY YEARS TO HAVE, AND THANKS)
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