Thursday, February 9, 2012

The testing and trying of the remnant

UV 319/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse
Zechariah 13 v 9 The testing of the remnant
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God

Why are the Lord’s people called the remnant? After a precious metal like gold or silver is smelted in the fire, what remains in the crucible is the remnant. These are the ones who are chosen, called, tested, tried and proved. What is that portion who constitute the remnant? This uni-verse says that a third of humanity constitute the remnant.

We will be tested in the furnace of afflictions. At the end of the process, we will come forth as gold. Many are the sources of our suffering but the Lord will hear us even as we suffer. He will send us deliverance and relief. Yes, belief brings relief. When we call on His Name or when any one calls on His Name, He will send relief. Suffering has three purposes –refinement or to purify us of the dross or impurities as silver in a refining pot, testing in the flames of fire as gold in a furnace and to draw us closer and closer to the Lord. We must be thankful that the Lord turns the heat on us in a gradual way- first, in the refining pot and later on, directly in the fire. Our personal and eternal relationship with the Lord is confirmed as He calls us His own people and we call Him our God and Lord. When we undergo such fiery trials, we must not grieve or complain or be afraid but look to the Lord for help and increasingly depend on Him.

At the end of the process of suffering, we will receive the stamp of approval that says, “ Tested and certified to be Kingdom quality gold.” If we have not had enough suffering in our lives, it is time we got concerned about it and ask, “ why am I not tested, tried and proved? Is the Lord not regarding me as His own?” It is not our mental or physical strength that the Lord tests- it is our heart. Abraham’s heart was tested when he was asked to sacrifice His only son, a child born of prophecy, the only legal heir and the one who had a destiny to fulfill. When we are tested and we succeed in choosing the Lord’s way over the world’s way or the way of flesh, we receive the crown of life. We are declared victorious. Recently, the Lord affirmed, “ I have tested you in the furnace of afflictions and you have come forth as gold.”

Prateep V Philip

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