He Will Chasten in Love
And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. Isaiah 1:25.
If received in faith, the trial that seems so bitter and hard to bear will prove a blessing. The cruel blow that blights the joys of earth will be the means of turning our eyes to heaven. How many there are who would never have known Jesus had not a sorrow led them to seek comfort in Him!—Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 10.
Of all the gifts that heaven can bestow upon men, fellowship with Christ in His sufferings is the most weighty trust and the highest honor.... Many are unable to make definite plans for the future. Their life is unsettled. They can not discern the outcome of affairs, and this often fills them with anxiety and unrest. Let us remember that the life of God’s children in this world is a pilgrim life. We have not wisdom to plan our own lives. It is not for us to shape our future.... Too many, in planning for a brilliant future, make an utter failure. Let God plan for you.... God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose which they are fulfilling as coworkers with Him.—The Ministry of Healing, 478, 479.
God is the refiner and purifier of souls; in the heat of the furnace the dross is separated forever from the true silver and gold of the Christian character. Jesus watches the test. He knows what is needed to purify the precious metal that it may reflect the radiance of His divine love.... God’s work of refining and purifying must go on until His servants are so humbled, so dead to self, that, when called into active service, their eye will be single to His glory.—Testimonies for the Church 4:86.
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