Old Things Become New 9/10/2015

Good Morning,

I am looking forward to a cup of Door County Cherry Crème Coffee in a little bit. Right now I need to keep moving and get out of the door to have some minor knee procedures taken care of. Then it's back to work. I have to get the knees working better before duck season.

The picture above is an antique piece of wooden trim that will eventually become a hanger for a bath robe. The piece was layered with many coats of old paint that had to be stripped and sanded before I can start actually returning this piece to usefulness. It is a long way from done and will need some more wood filler and plenty of sanding before we get to the paint. But once it is patched and all smooth I can begin the process of adding hardware and paint. Eventually a crystal door knob will extend out, offering a place for a robe.

The knob and the wood alone really aren't much at all. But put them together and clean them up and you have a beautiful piece that is useful. So far this has taken a knife, wood putty, heat and plenty of sand paper.

God continually refines our lives as He works to help us become more and more like His Son Jesus Christ. God works at refining us because He loves us. If we want to be more like Jesus we need to accept the fact that refinement often comes in the form of  chastisement or adversity. God does whatever it takes to draw us closer and more reliant on Him. Such an intimate relationship He desires with us! He cleans us up and makes us useful. But the cleaner He uses is the shed life of His Son, our atonement for our sins, our Savior. He keeps us clean through the Holy Spirit who often uses circumstances to teach and correct us.

Isaiah 48:9-11

 

"For the sake of My name I delay My wrath, And for My praise I restrain it for you, In order not to cut you off. "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.

No one enjoys being corrected, for sure. But when God corrects us, it is a sign that we are loved and He sees us as a partner in reaching a lost world. He wants to use us to work with Him.

Don't fight the refining. Let God have His perfect way. He will make something beautiful of your life!

God bless,

Marty