Pure Words

How are your words? Are they what they are suppose to be? If you're like me than they are not. When I realize how my words are, I know they need to be refined. I need to be placed in the refiner's fire, but I'm not going through it alone.

The words of the Lord are pure words:

as silver tried in a furnace of earth,

 purified seven times. Psalm 12:6

The Lord showed me through this verse that even as a Christian I need to have my words purifed. Sometimes I can say things that I don't realise are hurtful to another person. I can say things that puff me up, make me proud but always the Lord is there to show me that my words need to be refined - I need to be refined - and what a faithful God I have who shows me the way.

You see I have a little craft unit where I make enameled jewelry. I work in copper and when I've sifted on the enamel powders I put the piece of copper into the kiln which has been heated to around 750 degrees Celsius (1382 Fahrenheit). The red orange glow from the kiln lets you know it is hot - very hot.

I'm reminded of what it must have been like for Shadrach, Meschach and Abnego when they were bound and thrown down into the fiery furnace. Far hotter I am sure, than my little kiln. I know what the heat feels like when I open my kiln door and can imagine just how hot it must have been for these young men. But do you know what, they weren't in that furnace alone, the Lord himself was with them.

Now I have always wanted to work with silver to do my enameling on but it works differently with copper. In sterling silver there are a lot of impurities and you have to ensure that the impurities burn away. This is done by heating the silver in the kiln until the impurities rise to the surface, then taking it out it is quenching in water. It then has to be cleaned before being put into the kiln again. This is done a few times before the silver is purified and fine enough to be enameled.

I have had many a disaster trying to work with the silver, often I leave it too long and it melts completely. It looks lovely when I see it in the kiln all liquidy and shiny but the minute I take it out is solidifies and sticks to the mesh that I have been firing it on and I see the impurities on the surface. But through these processes that I use the Lord has shown me that I still need to be put into the furnace from time to time.

He has shown me that my words need to be purified - I need to be purified - and just as I go through the refining fire I know that I am not alone, Jesus is with me.

I am reminded each time I put my kiln on that the Lord continues to refine and try me; to put me through the flame so that the impurities in my life are burned away.

... when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel... (Isaiah 43:1-3)