When you look at the pictures above, what do you think of?
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My immediate thought is "work". Yet, as I spend more time "setting my mind on things above" and making some spiritual analogies, I am drawn to the following scriptures:
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Jeremiah 9:7-8
"Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:
"See, I will refine and test them,
"See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do because of the sin of my people?
Their tongue is a deadly arrow..."
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Zechariah 13:9
"I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.
They will call on my name and I will answer them;
I will say, 'They are my people,'
and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"
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Proverbs 27:17
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
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What is it that God uses to refine us?
What is it that God uses to sharpen us?
What is His purpose in all this?
Answers to those questions start in the scriptures above!!!
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This week, I am attending new faculty orientation, reading university textbooks, becoming proficient on new computer technology, and getting syllabus ready for the new school year that begins next week. The stress is high!
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Oh... did I mention that our daughter(who is already chronially ill) has been extremely ill with what she thinks is food poisoning and my husband has reinjured his back this week?
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Then, again, my house is still recovering from the summer and there has been no time to just do a daily cleaning routine...
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There are also all the FAFSA / tax forms that were due this week for our other daughter that I stayed up all night one night to complete...
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Some of you are experiencing worse... you know who you are: your husband had a heart attack... your child's special formula was denied by government assistance... your extended family has moved in with you... you and your husband's relationship is not doing well... you feel totally alienated from friends and family...
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That leads me to another stress: observing and/or being part of the imperfect interactions of imperfect human beings... I have observed them in christians and non-christians alike this week. Some of it has been quite disturbing. I even listened to some major people bashing from outside my office door...
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Yet, what God wants, from you and me, is that no matter the difficult circumstances we are going through, we need to come out on the other side...
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"...better, not bitter!"
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If you've read my posts from Tuesday and yesterday, you know that building a LEGACY is not always easy. Over the last few weeks, we've talked about how each new day we must "set our minds on things above". We must get God's perspective!
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I have pondered the above scriptures this week as I pray, "God, please help me to understand the concepts of the 'refiner's fire' and 'iron sharpening iron'. Help our difficult circumstances to make us all better and not bitter."
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How does that happen???????????????????
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Remember Colossians 3:14? "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Over all what things? Colossians says that love binds together all other virtues!
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TRANSFORMING LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Agape love!!!!
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P.K.!!!!
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Love is patient... love is kind... (and sometimes love is tough - iron sharpening iron...)...
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Check out yesterday's post and begin your journey of TRANSFORMING LOVE!!!! It takes work!
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