Jesus said to His disciples, “You will all fall away!” Peter became enraged and said, “Even though they all fall away, I will not.” Peter’s heart must have been sincere. For sure, the Lord did not doubt his sincerity. But He replied, “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” A few hours later, these words turned out to be true. Peter was greatly shocked. Even he could not accept what he did.
Yet the Lord still wanted to use someone like him. The Lord did not want him to justify himself with his iron will, and He did not want him to abandon himself because he could not accept his own mistake. The Lord wanted him to acknowledge his limits, repent and change. He wanted him to rely on the Law of the Spirit and not his own flesh. Peter was shocked by the fact that he denied the Lord and was deeply wounded because of it, but the Lord wanted him to see it as a chance to be refined.
We may experience great emotional pain while pursuing lives of faith. Though this can bring suffering and shock, we do not have to see this as a bad thing - because when this refines and cleanses our spirits, we can be better protected for the path of salvation, and it can prepare us to become ‘timber’ for God to use. For sure, not everyone who suffers trials will experience such change. This is because each person faces trials with a different attitude.
Some people think like this when trials come, ‘Other people are opposing me. I have to fight this evil and defeat it at all costs.’ These people even adopt worldly methods to face the shock of these trials. They do not bend their resolve and want to endure it to the end. Because they ignored the spiritual reality in their situation, they missed out the chance for their spirits to be cleansed (for this was permitted by God).
There are also people who never gain the chance for refinement. They may have purposely avoided these difficulties by not getting involved in the church’s work. It will be difficult to expect amazing spiritual growth from these people and see them embrace trials as a chance for change. Since they linger on the ‘outskirts’ of salvation, we cannot know if their spirits will successfully be protected to the end.
When we face trials, let’s accept them as a chance for refinement. Let’s face our limitations and trust in God’s assistance. Let’s acknowledge how filthy, detestable and vulgar we are and no longer trust in ourselves. We cannot live one moment without the Lord’s grace nor do anything without His help. If we have been saved, let’s now undergo change. When we suffer trials, let’s not get tempted and become corrupt, but let’s repent, turn back, change, and cleanse our spirits. Let’s make sure God sees our spirits like gold and make sure He uses us for His work.
(Lord’s Day Service on January 30, 2022)
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