“To quote Judith Viorst, ‘If I were in charge of the world / You wouldn’t have lonely.’ But we do have lonely, and nobody escapes the fire. Nobody!”- Bob Merritt
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”- 1 Peter 1:6-7 (NIV)
Bob Merritt concludes Chapter 11 of Done With That as he presents the third key from Scripture to shift from selfishness to sacrifice.
3. Welcome the fire. Sometimes an impurity in our lives blocks us from living the new life God intends for us to live. As a result, God lovingly permits fiery trials to enter our lives. However, these tests can be quite hard. Yet, we hold on because we know these tests exist for our good. As Peter wrote, there’s wonderful joy ahead!
Furthermore, growth always follows a fire. In faithfulness, God takes something destined for destruction and turns it into something good and refining. Pastor Merritt explains:
“When you’re walking through the scorching flames, you can feel hopeless and desperate. It’s tough to breathe, because the smoke of fear envelops you. And some fires leave scars. Although they’ll heal, they’ll also leave a kinder spot on your soul.
But growth will always come. When the smoke clears and the spring rains fall on our dry souls, we’ll find God was there. And after the fire, He will begin to fill our lives with things we never knew about.”
Today’s question: What Scriptures often comfort you when you full realize the nobody escapes the fire – nobody? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Obsessions occupy space in your soul”
