Refined by Fire and Culture

Last night and this morning I had the opportunity to listen to two very poignant sermons that really resonated with me.

The first was given by the joyously enthusiastic James White who spoke in particularly on Daniel Chapter 3 and the narrative of how God delivered Radshack, Meshach, and Abendego from Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace. There were a number of things that stood out including the fact that these three men were not cocky in defying the Babylonian king but they knew the truth, the reality that there God was the one true God and they were not going to be compromised in their faith.

Pastor White also looked in depth at this imagery of fire, suggesting how often God reveals himself in the flame and we can use this metaphor in our own lives. We are constantly being assaulted by trial and tribulations, going through the fire in a sense, but it's in precisely these moments that God continues to refine us more and more in his image. We are supposed to become more and more like him and how is that possible without adversity that forces us to trust completely in Him.

These past weeks, these past four years and really for much of my life, I'm always wrestling with difficulties and those prayers that seemingly went unanswered. I'm happy now that my prayers have progressed a little bit. In my baby steps, I've moved from simply saying "Why God?" to "How are you going to reveal yourself in these circumstances, God?" And wouldn't you know, God always does show up. But its in those interim periods, those "meanwhile" moments that are paramount to my own growth.

We live in a society that believes that the point of life is to be continually happy, avoiding all types of difficulty and hardship so we can live a life of perfect tranquility. First of all, no life is like that and secondly, is that really the best type of existence that we can have? The moments that I often remember the most are the difficult ones because it was in the wake of such struggles like tragedy, sickness, death and failure that I saw God more clearly. He also uses those circumstances to reveal the character of those around. We can more fully appreciate the gifts that he has given them because they can bless us just as we can, in turn, bless them in their moments of struggle. That's awesome...


As I enter a new stage in life and a new job it's was equally pertinent to listen to Tim Keller's Sermon on Culture and the picture we are given in Isaiah of a thriving Jerusalem that in many ways seems like a picture of what eternity will look like. The beauty of this image is the implication that our vocations will almost have eternal significance because from the beginning our God was a creator a cultivator and a worker.

That means that those same principles apply to us and when we are doing work, in a way, that is glorifying him, we are reflecting his character for others to see. We are, in a sense, more in his likeness. That's why it is misguided to say that only a certain vocation or passion is doing the work of God because that is simply not the case. But also, it seems to make it clear that eternity will be even more fulfilling than are present lives. They'll still be a need for workers, creators, and culture-makers but the difference is that we will have our fully glorified bodies and also be in perfect community with our Lord and savior. As I get ready to go into my first real job that is an exciting perspective for me to take on in light of eternity.