MALACHI 3:2-3
2. But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap:
3. And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. KJV
DEFINITIONS
Abide -c) to keep in, to maintain, bear, comprehend, forbearing, guide, sustain.
Stand -c) abide, appoint, arise, cease, dwell, endure, establish, serve.
Refine -d) to free or become freed from impurities, dross, etc.
We are told to be ready when He comes. Malachi 3 is saying that times will be so tough that who can endure or abide this day? Why? Because He comes with the refining fire of God. We are placed in the furnace of affliction to melt away the impurities in our heart.
We know He knows everything about us and what we need. Only He can bring the perfect trial in our lives that will cleanse us and purify our heart. As we submit in the hard times of the refiner’s fiery process, we will come out with the inner strength and power to live in harmony with the Holy Spirit.
We must look at all the meanings of the word “stand.”
- abide
- appoint
- cease
- dwell
- endure
- establish
- serve
Each meaning has a place in our heart. We must always abide in Him. We must be appointed by Him. We must die to self or cease. We must dwell in Him or “in Christ.” We must endure till the end that we might be saved. We must be established by Him. We must always serve Him.
Only after His purifying will our offering be pure in His sight. If we are to offer an offering in righteousness, we must be grounded upon the rock or Jesus. Our trust in Him is what the Father is looking for in our heart.
We start out with a small amount of trust. But as we are called to trust in different areas faith grows. The key to any trial is that we stay thankful for what we do have, focusing on the good things He has already done for us. If we grow discouraged and complain we can get stuck in unbelief. That is where we do not want to be.
Proverbs 20:30 Blows that wound cleanse away evil and strokes for correction reach to the innermost parts. Amp.
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