Refiner and Purifier of Silver

I get this inspiring article emailed by a friend:

*****************************************************************
Malachi 3:3 says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what thisstatement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and getback to the group at their next Bible Study.

That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says: "He sits as a refiner and purifier ofsilver." She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit therein front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you and will keep watching you until He sees His image in you. Pass this on right now. This very moment, someone needs to know that God is watching over them. And, whatever they're going through, they'll be a better person in the end [if they allow Him].

"Life is a coin. You can spend it anyway you wish, but you can only spend it once."
*****************************************************************

I just find an interesting link about weather forecast for my hometown Bagansiapiapi: http://www.fallingrain.com/world/ID/19/Bagansiapiapi.html .

Bagansiapiapi (Hokkien: 峇眼亞比 ba7-gan2-a1-pi2) is a small town on Eastern Sumatra (Riau Province, Indonesia). I was quite surprised that there is an online weather forecast for it. Btw, I have yet to visit that hometown since 1991!

Because HE Lives!

Many Christians, especially Roman Catholics and Protestants, think that we are saved because of the death of Christ. Some even go to say that even if Christ were not resurrected, Christians would still be saved because of His sacrifice on the cross. While it's true that Christ's death on the cross is crucial for our salvation, without His Resurrection we can never be saved. Orthodoxy always maintains this important truth.

St Paul says: "If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.... If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins". [First Letter to Corinthians, chapter 15 verses 14 & 17]

Lord Jesus Christ is God who became Man for our salvation. He came to save us from sins, to cure us from our mortal disease. Sin is like lethal cancer, devouring us into eternal death. Our Lord died for us to defeat death with His death, He was infected by our sins yet His Blood had become Antidote for us. Being the Source of Life, death could not overcome Him, instead death was overcomed by the Life. Because death has been overcomed, sins have been defeated, our salvation is secured. It's in His Resurrection that we are fully saved. Because He lives, we are made alive to live the fullness of life.

This indeed is the Gospel, the Good News: Because He lives, we can also live! Praise God!

Christ is risen! Indeed He is risen! Alleluia!