“The Lord’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over.”

– Psalm 12:4 NLT

Every once in a while, I will tackle an area of my home, throwing out what is no longer useful or necessary. I will gather black trash bags, chucking anything having nothing to do with the life I desire to live. I have parted with sentimental things over the years, yet I continue to hold on to some as though I could not exist without them. Occasionally, I’ll look at these precious items, and they tug at my heartstrings, whispering quietly to me with a hint of desperation, “Please don’t get rid of me yet.”

This periodic purging of my home comes at a cost, yet the end result is satisfying: an even more decluttered home, even more suitable for my needs and that of my family. It is never picture-perfect, yet each time I address my house in this manner, the efforts produce an effect where my home is neater, calmer, and generally more pleasant to live in.

God promises many things to us in the Bible: to love us (1 John 4:16), to never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:6), to give us a future and hope (Jeremiah 29:11), and even that He hears us and will answer prayers for those who trust in Him (1 Peter 3:12). The promises He makes to us come from a heart of eternal commitment to those whom He created. One of the greatest promises Scripture speaks of is that we have a guarantee in Heaven, that we will be received by Him with a great welcome (Luke 15:20). We know that whatever the Lord offers us in His promises that they come from a pure heart, unstained by sin or anything that would lessen its beauty or authenticity.

The Lord’s will for us is that we be sanctified, aware of our need to be refined by Him and our circumstances, as though we were precious metals in the fiery furnace of affliction and suffering, to lift away the “dross” of our sin and shortcomings. But the Lord Himself – and His promises – have no need to be cleansed further, providing the perfect foundation on which we can build our faith in Him. No matter how cluttered we are, or how far we fall from His glorious gold standard, we are still precious in his sight.

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that You are perfect, the gold standard to whom we compare ourselves. I am grateful we can trust in all the promises You declare in Your Word to us so that we may benefit from Your abundant grace. God, please continue to refine me, removing the unnecessary and useless from my spirit. Please remind me how much I need You. Sanctify me, according to Your will. Amen.

Up in Flames

The flames around me wax hotter and higher
consuming my strength and my soul
reducing me to a shell of a man
alongside the searing hot coals

I crumble into ashes, wispy and light
flying about in the terrifying night
not knowing when the fire would abate
burning away all I despise and hate

Though nothing is left, the flames still light
the darkness to which it contrasts
destroying all that is left of the life
I vowed to have made my past

The embers die slowly an agonizing death
clinging to hope of just one more breath
The wind that spread the flames so fast,
now still, the fire can breathe its last

Remains lie low on the floor like a rug
are tread on with feet cold as ice
Knowing the old is now dead and gone
came at such a disastrous price