Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
How Pliable Are You?
Pastor Scott
Monday, June 14, 2004
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"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich..."
Do you want some counsel from Jesus? Here it is: "I counsel [you] to buy of me gold tried [proven gold] tried in the fire" (Rev. 3:18). One of the great values of gold that gives it its intrinsic worth is not just that it shines, but that it's incorruptible. Pure gold can't be corroded. Refining (or trying) is putting gold in the fire and heating it in the furnace of adversity so that all of the impurities rise to the top. Then the refiner skims that from the top, displaces it, and allows it to continue in this crucible under the pressure and heat. As it continues to be refined, more of the alloys, the impurities, are skimmed and this gold, then, is cleansed by fire.
The more pressure we get under in our lives brings all of the impurities to the top. The fire is not getting things done your way. The fire is the dreams that we may have and our aspirations falling at our feet and becoming unattainable. The rejection on the job or of our natural families begins to add some heat to our lives. When the heat--the trials and the pressures--comes in your life, it isn't a pretty sight. All of a sudden the anger that you didn't know was in there rises to the top. When the other person gets the recognition, the jealousy that you didn't realize was there begins to manifest. All of the pressures and adversities of life bring these impurities to the top.
"...Buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich..." Anything other than the purity of God's presence and the character of Christ is poverty. The only way you can be rich is to have this pure gold. Any gold we have on is probably either 14 or 18 carat. Jewelry, for instance, isn't made with more than 18 carat gold because it begins to be too soft and wears down. An alloy (nickel, iron, copper) is mixed in a certain proportion with the gold to make it harder for wear. It's the same thing in our lives. The more alloy we have--the more worldliness, the more self that's in us--the harder we become. The more fire in our lives, the more pliable we become. The purer the gold, the softer it is. Pure gold is soft, a very pliable substance. How pliable are you? How ready are you today to change direction? How willing are you to step down from the role you're in to a subordinate role for the glory of God and for the good of the Body? How pliable are you to the biblical requirements in your life?
"I counsel of you to buy of me gold tried in the fire," a life proven through adversity. You need to take up your cross daily and enter the crucible to be refined and purged if you're going to be Jesus' disciple. If you're going to walk in His counsel, you will be constantly refined.
Jesus goes on in this passage and adds white raiment (that robe of righteousness that the Scripture speaks of) and salve for our eyes. The Laodicean area was known for an eye salve that brought about healing to the eyes. Why is He telling them that they need this eye salve? Beloved, it's because so many people today believe lies. They are seeing themselves through spiritual blindness, through the world's standards, and from their own perception. Having eyes they see not, the apostle says, and ears but they hear not. Jesus says that if you want to be rich, then you're going to have to be poor in this world's perspective. You have to absolutely rely on Jesus and His wisdom.