Hello All,
(Just a general disclaimer that I must insert here at the beginning. I am but a lay person, like most of you. And these weekly “thoughts” are but my own. Not the definitive word on this or any topic. Just my own conclusions derived from my own study and faith in God. The greatest hope I have for these weekly “thoughts” is to have them be a springboard for further study on your part. Not to be a weekly treatise to be blindly accepted. So, please read them with this intent, this motive in mind).
This week’s lesson from the “Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide”, is titled “The Crucibles that Come”. “What are the causes of the difficult times that we experience through our lives”, asks the Quarterly on the bottom of Sabbath’s lesson for July 2. The Quarterly goes on to posit 5 causes as evidenced by the 5 titles for each day’s lesson. “Surprises”, “Crucibles of Satan”, “Crucibles of Sin”, “Crucibles of Purification”, and “Crucibles of Maturity”. These surely punctuate the difficult times most of us Christians have faced as we live a life contrary to the flow of our culture. God assured us that “in the world you will have tribulation”. Yet He also told us to “to be of good cheer, (for) I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So even in this world of “difficult times”, we are not to despair. “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings” (1 Peter 4: 12-13).
The real cause of all our problems is sin. Sin in your mind and heart. The way you see things. The way you relate to things. The desires of our sinful hearts and minds. “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). This is what lies behind all our crucibles. If not for sin, all our “crucibles” would be seen in a different light. All would be seen as opportunities to bring glory to our Father. Even our own health issues, our own mortality, our own death. All would be seen as ways and means to bring honor to our Lord and to… yes… “rejoice” (ibid).
But this relies on being “in Christ”. Being “one” with Him. If so, we have a new paradigm. A new way of seeing things. Take a look at the following quote from EGW. She says it so clearly.
“In the Bible the will of God is revealed. The truths of the Word of God are the utterances of the Most High. He who makes these truths a part of his life becomes in every sense a new creature. He is not given new mental powers, but the darkness that through ignorance and sin has clouded the understanding, is removed. The words, "A new heart also will I give you," mean, "A new mind will I give you." A change of heart is always attended by a clear conviction of Christian duty, an understanding of truth. He who gives the Scriptures close, prayerful attention will gain clear comprehension and sound judgment, as if in turning to God he had reached a higher plane of intelligence” (Review and Herald 12/19/13).
Wow! This is so true, is it not? Sin has clouded our perception and understanding. We see things through our own myopic understanding. Through the lens of self, of me. As a result, we are most always in a state of tension. Most always in some sort of “crucible”. But “in Christ”, we see those so-called “crucibles” as something else. “God in His great love is seeking to develop in us the precious graces of His Spirit. He permits us to encounter obstacles, persecution, and hardships, not as a curse, but as the greatest blessing of our lives” (Mount of Blessing pg. 117). In Christ, we will see the “crucibles” as blessings. We will see the “crucibles” as…. Love. Praise His name for the crucibles!!
With brotherly love,
Jim