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But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:57)

The five-year-old soccer goalie of Team One was an outstanding athlete, but he was no match for three or four on Team Two who were also very good and they began to score on him. The goalie gave it everything he had, recklessly throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying valiantly to stop them.

After the third goal was scored against him, he could see it was no use; he couldn’t stop them. He didn’t quit, but he became quietly desperate. Futility was written all over him.

After the fourth goal, the little boy needed help so badly, and there was no help to be had. He retrieved the ball from the net and handed it to the referee. Then he fell to his knees and cried the tears of the helpless and brokenhearted.

His father ran onto the field and said, “Scotty, I’m so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son.”

“Daddy,” the boy sobbed, “I couldn’t stop them. I tried, Daddy, I tried and tried, and they scored on me.”

“Scotty, it doesn’t matter how many times they scored on you. You’re my son, and I’m proud of you. I want you to go back out there and finish the game. I know you want to quit, but you can’t. And, son, you’re going to get scored on again, but it doesn’t matter. Go on, now.” The little guy ran back on to the field and they scored two more times. But it was okay.

I get scored on every day. I try so hard. I recklessly throw my body in every direction. I fume with rage. I struggle with temptation and sin with every ounce of my being – and Satan laughs. And he scores again, and the tears come, and I go to my knees – sinful, convicted, helpless. And my Father rushes right out on the field—right in front of the whole jeering, laughing world—and he picks me up, and he hugs me and he says:

“Son, I’m so proud of you. You were great out there. I want everybody to know that you are my son. And because I control the outcome of this game, I declare you – The Winner!”

Courtesy— Open Doors USA

By Dewey Kearney         Keyword: refining gold

Our country and in fact the entire world economic system is in a mess and I am sure no one will disagree with that. Our entire monetary system is in eminent danger of collapse. Being in the “senior citizen” class myself I know that many of my friends are in a panic of what will happen should our banking system collapse as it did in the 1930’s, my parents time.

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have trusted him as your savior you should have some inkling of an idea what we should be doing; pray, pray as never before. God uses these times to point unbelievers to himself as the one true God. These are days when God is refining his people before he comes for his church. As I reflected on this I remembered Malachi 3:3; “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” – (or gold). Precious metals are refined in the fires to remove the impurities.

Amy Carmichael was an amazing woman. Raised in Ireland she felt God’s call to leave her home and travel to India where she set up orphanages. The caste system was in full mode and she took in children off the streets, mostly girls, abandoned by their parents. The caste system places little or no value on girls and they were either abandoned or given to the pagan temples where they were turned into temple prostitutes. She rescued literally thousands of these little ones, teaching them about the true God who loved them. She served for 55 years never taking a furlough the entire time. She wrote about taking her girls to see how the goldsmith refined gold and used it as a teaching tool for her “children”. Here’s what she wrote:

“One day we took the children to see a goldsmith refine gold after the ancient manner of the East. He was sitting beside his little charcoal fire. He had made a small homemade crucible using a common curved roof tile; another tile covered it like a lid. In it was the “medicine” made of salt, tamarind fruit and burnt brick dust, and imbedded in that was the gold nugget.

The “medicine” does its appointed work on the gold, “the fire does the work, called “eating it” on the gold nugget. After awhile the goldsmith lifts the gold out with a pair of tongs, lets it cool, rubs it between his fingers, and if not satisfied puts it back again in fresh “medicine”, and repeats the process. This time he blows the fire hotter than it was before, and each time he puts the gold into the crucible, the heat of the fire is increased. “It could not bear it so hot at first, but it can bear it now; what would have destroyed it then helps it now,” he explained.  Amy asked; “how do you know when the gold is purified?” and he answered, “When I can see my face in it then it is pure.”

Can God be refining his people now? Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory”… How are we transformed? In the fires, but never fear we are not alone. Jesus went before us and is with us even now. Trust him!