Some time ago, a few ladies met to read the scriptures. While reading the third chapter of Malachi they came upon a remarkable expression in the third verse. “And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

One lady’s opinion was that is was intended to convey the view of the sanctifying influence of the grace of Christ. Then she proposed to visit a silversmith and report to her friends what he said on the subject.

She went accordingly and without telling the objective of her errand, begged to know the process of refining silver, which he fully described to her.

“But Sir” she said, “do you sit while the work of refining is going on?”

“Oh, yes madam,” replied the silversmith; “I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining is exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured.”

The lady at once saw the beauty, and comfort too, of the expression, “He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” Christ sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for them. Their trials do not come at random; “the very hairs of our head are all numbered.”

As the lady was leaving the shop, the silversmith called her back, and said he had still further to mention, that he only knows when the process of purifying is complete, by seeing his own image reflected in the silver.

Beautiful example!

When Christ shall see His own image in His people, His work of purifying will be accomplished.

There are 5 sponges laying on your kitchen counter top. Each member of your family has been cleaning up different areas of your home, but all the sponges look the same. You are curious as to what was cleaned in your home, but you can’t tell by looking…they all look the same….so what do you do?

You squeeze each sponge to see what comes out. As you squeeze the first sponge, you see that cola comes out, and so you decide that someone cleaned the kitchen with that one. Upon squeezing the second sponge, you find tub and tile cleaner – that one was used to clean the bathroom.

Next, in the third sponge, you find motor oil — hubby was cleaning the garage!

In the fourth sponge, baby powder puffs out when it is squeezed — yep, the baby’s nursery was done with that one!

And finally, in the last one, is floor wax — that was the one you used on the hall floor!

As you lay the last one down, you look again at their similarity. They all look the same until they’re squeezed.

Christians are the same way. As life squeezes us, different things come out – anger from one, a need for revenge from another, tears from one, remorse from yet another – also greed, untruth, lust – and finally, from one saint, pours forth the love of Christ.

Just like the sponge, we can only squeeze out what is put in – stay in the Word daily, and be in continuous prayer, so that when life puts the squeeze on you (and it WILL), Jesus, and Jesus ALONE will shine forth from you!

Many years ago there was a medical missionary in Africa named George Harley. He built a small clinic and a chapel next to it. Very quickly the natives started coming to the hospital but for some reason they refused to go to the church. For the better part of four years the only people who entered that chapel were Dr. and Mrs. Harley and their young son.

One day, though, Harley’s son fell off a ledge and hit his head on a sharp rock. The missionary ran to the youngster’s side, but he could not save the boy’s life. A casket was made for the lad from old shipping crates and a memorial service planned. Only the two missionaries attended, and not a word was spoken. Dr. Harley recounted, “I could not speak, I could not pray, so finally I just picked up the casket and put it on my shoulder and started to carry it out to the place where he would be buried. As we walked along the road, a man came alongside and asked, ‘Great Father, what do you have in that box?’ I replied, ‘It’s my son. He died last night.’ Then the man took one end of the casket and I took the other, and we carried it to the grave side where I broke down completely and began to cry, ‘Why, God, why?’

Then man looked at me and then ran back to the village with the announcement, shouting it from house to house, ‘The Great Father cries, just like us. The Great Father cries just like us.’ Then they came running from all directions and put their arms around us, and tried to comfort us. And from that time on, every time we had a service in the chapel, those who were not in the clinic were in the chapel. And that’s how we finally got through. But oh, the cost.”

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–Paul W. Powell, “How to Start a Church Fire”