Mark 9:49-50 (NLT)
For everyone will be tested with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.
“I’m going through the fire!”
If you’ve been around long enough, you’ve heard people exasperatedly utter this phrase- both in and out of church. Many times, however, we don’t think of the circumstance as a whole; rather, at the negative feelings or emotions, such as anger and bitterness, the fire brings out of us. What Jesus alludes to in our passage today is a comprehensive look at both the fire and the invaluable changes it brings.
A metallurgy degree isn’t necessary for us to understand this “refining fire” principle, but a little background will help. Metal such as gold is put through a fire to refine or purify it. After being submitted to the feverish flames, its impurities drain out and what is left is the same chemical compound, only in its purest form. Thus, pure gold.
Now lets transfer the thought to our relationship with Jesus. Although we are created in the image of GOD, we bear the poisons of our sin nature. As the Holy Spirit fills our soul, it becomes a “consuming fire” which burns away at our impurities. It convicts us of wrong doing, counsels us through our past hurts, guides us through the trials and tribulations of life, holds us up in adversity, and cries out on our behalf when words won’t come. The spirit’s fire thus transforms us into pure and holy people fit to meet GOD. Notice we have nothing to do with the process except remaining in the midst of the flames, no matter how painful at the time. We that endure to the end, will be saved!
Application: Check your perceptions of the fire today. Make an attempt to see the fire as an extreme makeover to the image of Christ rather than as something beating you down and ruining your life. Better to burn in this life than in the one to come!
