"For you, O God, have tested us;
you have refined us as silver is refined."
Psalm 66:10
As a loving Father, God tests his children in order to bring them to maturity. He loves us ...but he loves us too much to leave us as we are.
"My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,
nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him;
for whom the Lord loves he chastens,
and scourges every son whom he receives.
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons;"
Hebrews 12:6-7
He deals with us as sons and daughters for whom he has a glorious plan.
"You brought us into the net;
you laid affliction on our backs;
you have caused men to ride over our heads;
we went through fire and through water.
But you brought us out to rich fulfillment."
Psalm 66:12
And that's the point. He means to bring us out to RICH FULFILLMENT.
A child who is left to himself and given all to enjoy without limit - that child will not mature. He will grow up in selfishness and narcissism. He will bring shame to his parents. And so it is with our heavenly Father, he loves us way too much to allow us those things which would make us spoiled brats. He looks to our maturity and to what is needed in each one to get him there.
Rather than complain, bring praise and thanksgiving for all the elements in your life which change you. As unpleasant as many of them are, they are indispensable. The mature Christian will look back over his life and would not choose any of it to be left out - because of what it produced in him.
vs 16:
"Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will declare what he has done for my soul."
The mature believer has a solid testimony. He has many stories to tell, stories that made up his journey, stories the Lord used to mature him. This life is all about growing and training. The peace and joy we all long for will make up our eternity. In heaven there won't be the trials and tribulations we experience here. There won't be pain or sickness, there won't be unlovable people to stretch our patience, there won't be loss and disappointment. The life we live now is the only time we will experience difficulties to raise us up to maturity - the things that make up our growth can only happen here. So how important it is that we surrender to all the Lord brings or allows in our lives! What if he didn't? Would you want to be the person you once were? Would you want to turn out to be a spoiled brat? Of course not. Therefore, do not complain to your Father about the very circumstances that he chooses to use to work out your maturity.
vs 18:
"If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear."
It is the nature of our fallen human state to want to be in control, to cringe at the very thought of submission. But do not persist in rebellion - it will only bring you pain and shame. Let your heavenly Father have his way in your life. He knows every single thing about you, your thoughts, your motives, all of your ways. His plan for you is to bring about something wonderful, that rich fulfillment that he so desires for you. ASK for grace to cooperate, to let go of all that opposes him. You'll never regret it. You will praise him for all eternity.
"Unless the Lord builds the house,
they labor in vain who build it;"
Psalm 127:1
It's the old battle between self-will versus surrender to God our Creator. A person decides what he/she wants out of life and pursues it. But if the path one takes is not God's will for one's life, of what value can it be?
In the issues in life you can have it your way, the Lord will allow you that because he has given you the gift of free will. But of what value are the things I've done for me, the places I've settled for me, the one I've married for me, the occupation I've chosen for me, the friends I have for me, the hobbies I like for me? When the Lord is left out of the elements of life, you're on your own. He will not bless what you've done "for me." Things you've achieved and acquired may or may not go as you planned, but in the end you will find them to be empty. How much more valuable then, will all of these things be if they have first been committed to the Lord in surrender to his will for one's life? When a person is in the will of God, then he has the assurance that every single element of his life is God-led according to the unique plan God has for his life.
"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,
and he delights in his way."
Psalm 37:23
If you want God's blessing, then you have to do it his way, you have to commit all you are and all you do - to the one who will work everything out for you according to his plan for your life. This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make, because for God's plan for your life to be fulfilled you have to be in the right places at the right times, with the people God himself will bring into and out of your life. You have to be in the setting that his choice of your occupation takes you, with the spouse God has chosen for you and the friends and co-workers God chooses for you. If God is the Lord of your life, you can then live in faith and trust. But If YOU are the Lord of your life, you're on your own.
Many refuse to surrender to God because they don't trust him. They feel they can do better with their own choices rather than surrender to One who they fear will cause them pain. But to pit their “wisdom” against the wisdom and the love of God is the essence of folly and in the end they'll come to understand that only too well.
The goal in all of this is that you find success and fulfillment. Only God can grant that. Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.
"For no other foundation can anyone lay
than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each one’s work will become clear; for the day will declare it,
because it will be revealed by fire,
and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures,
he will receive a reward.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss;
but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
God's way in your life will produce what is truly valuable, what is gold, silver, and precious stones. One's own way will produce wood, hay, and straw. On the last day, you will stand before God and your works will be evaluated. Whatever was led by God will be greatly rewarded, but whatever was led by self-will be declared worthless. You have the opportunity to choose today what the outcome of your life will be. The Lord grant you wisdom to make the right choice.
"The soul of the wicked desires evil;
his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes."
Proverbs 21:10
Who are “the wicked?” Those who commit murder? Rape? Fraud?
The wicked - is all of us. Every person born from Adam is born in a fallen human nature.
The world tells you you're born with a blank slate and that you become whatever influences occur in your life to shape you. But that's not true. We are not born "good," and we are not born with a blank slate. We are born in a fallen, sin-prone nature. If you doubt that, put two toddlers together in a room with one toy, and watch. Self-will is embedded in our fallen human nature. Tell your child, "No," and what comes next? The fallen human nature becomes apparent.
Here's what the Word of God says about it:
"The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked..."
Jeremiah 17:9
The human heart is not just wicked, it's desperately wicked. That's what we're born into.
"...verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity."
Psalm 39:5
That's why one must be born again.
You can't change a fallen human nature. You can't teach it, you can't argue with it, you have to surrender it. One might ask, "then how are there good people?" And the answer is that as a person grows, he learns which behaviors will produce which results. A person learns to avoid the behaviors that bring bad results in the eyes of people. He hasn't changed his fallen nature, he's learned to control parts of it for his own purposes. It stays fallen. His motives are rooted in what will bring him the good things he desires. But he remains in pride and self-centeredness. Take this good person and criticize him, insult him, reject him, and his fallen human nature will race to the surface. He will immediately begin defending himself and fighting back. That's common to all of us, not only to the ones we would call wicked. Some have learned more effective ways to get what they want more than others.
The soul of the wicked desires evil by nature. Sometimes that evil goes by another name. A proud person will work hard to advance himself and the world will call that good, but the Word of God strongly condemns pride. There is no getting away from it, we are born into a fallen human nature and that fallenness is going to be behind most of what we do. Pride. Self-ambition. Self-justification.
This is why Jesus stressed so strongly that you MUST be born again. It's not a suggestion, it's absolutely necessary.
"Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he CANNOT enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You MUST be born again.'"
John 3:5-7
If you have not been born again you cannot enter the Kingdom of God and you are not headed for heaven. Get down on your knees, bow before the Lord God, confess your sin, your fallen human nature, acknowledge that it is evil, humble yourself and ask the Lord that you might be born again. Be willing to surrender yourself and your life to him, asking him to take ownership and become your Lord. Only then will your eyes be opened to see the truth.
In your fallen human nature, you cannot see the truth, you will make excuses and twist any situation to see it your way. When you are born again, as your eyes are opened the Word of God will become the truth to you. The pleasant truth, and the unpleasant truth. You have to see both.
And then wait. Any birth produces an infant, and that infant has to grow up. It takes time. A lot of time. You will fall occasionally, but eventually you will mature and learn to walk in truth.
Spend time with the Lord every single day. If you have time to watch tv, you have time to spend with the Lord. If you have time to spend on Facebook, you have time to spend with the Lord. If you have time for sports, you have time to spend with the Lord. You will make time for what is important to you. But this has to be the most important thing you will do in life.
Get yourself a Bible, not a "modern" version, almost all modern versions are not accurate, get a King James Bible or even a New King James Bible, and start reading it. Daily. As you take in the Word of God you will grow. He will show you things from his Word, things you never knew before, as he begins the process of growing you up to be the mature believer he desires you to be. Do not fear it, it is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a human being, and you will never regret it. You'll find a joy you've never known before and a peace that goes beyond all understanding.
"Call to me, and I will answer you,
and show you great and mighty things,
WHICH YOU DO NOT KNOW.’
Jeremiah 33:3
MORE:
"Born Again." What Does That Mean, Really?