The Refiner's Fire

During my high school years I spent my summers working for my father in construction.  The majority of our work dealt with concrete and laying block and brick.  In those days, waterproofing block around a basement involved using a thick tar-like substance.  This waterproofing came in five gallon metal buckets.  Its consistency was like a thick black paste with a heavy smell of gasoline.  To apply it required using a wide, course paint brush and lots of elbow grease.  The objective was to coat the basement blocks without getting too much waterproofing on you.  That task became harder as your arm got weaker painting that stuff on.

No matter how hard I tried to use up all the waterproofing in the five gallon can ,there would always be some stuck to the sides and bottom of the can.  Most people would look at that can and say it was empty when actually it still had evidence of tar.  There was no way to get those cans completely clean unless I put them into fire.  Only in the fire would the remaining waterproofing come out.

I have often thought about those cans of tar-like substance as a great illustration of our spiritual lives.  Our life is the can.  The tar substance is all our sin and unrighteous.  When we give our lives to the Lord, he forgives our sin and begins the process of cleansing our lives to make us holy.  Too many people believe that once the initial forgiveness has occurred their life is completely clean.  However, there are some residual ungodly attitudes and characteristics that seem to cling to our lives like the waterproofing did in my cans.  The only way to be completely clean is to allow the fire of God’s Holy Spirit to work freely in our lives to completely purify us.

Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would baptize them (Acts 1:5), fill them (Acts 2:4), and clothe them (Luke 24:49). In other words, God desires his people to be completely immersed, filled to capacity, and covered with his Holy Spirit in their lives.  When this is reality in our lives, what people see is not us but the presence of God.

Are you truly filled to capacity or does some tar remain?  
Come see us Sunday.  We will talk about that.

Pastor Jeff