A Burning Heart

See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I do this… Isaiah 48:10-11 (NIV)

I remember when I faced my first major trial as a Christ-follower. I have to admit that I was confused, and even ashamed. My experience with Christ had been so bright, joyful and romantic leading up to that point. I subconsciously assumed that everything gets easier when you have God on your side, so I felt bad about myself for finding Him to be insufficient. "Why do I hurt?" I thought, "God is still enough."

Since then, I can honestly say that God has repeatedly tested my heart in immensely painful ways. Even as I type this, God is carefully and masterfully breaking and rebuilding my heart in a way I have never experienced. Recently I have held tight to these two verses in Isaiah, as they have reminded me of the true reason I undergo these afflictions: His own glory.

If you are facing affliction, that does not mean that God is not there for you. In fact, He is probably the one who put you there. He compares this spiritual warfare to a blazing furnace, so do not be ashamed that you feel burned. Also note how God repeats Himself when He says that He tests us for His own glory. This is perhaps the most important thing to remember. You suffer for a cause greater than your own! Is it not the greatest honor to sacrifice your comfort for the glory of your God in heaven as His son did for you? I encourage you to trust that our God is an intentional God; let that be your only hope. He does not subject us to pain without plans to rescue us. He cannot let you fall, lest He proves Himself to be unfaithful to His promises. On that day when He snatches you from the furnace, you will rejoice, and so will the ones around you. We must remember on that day to give Him the credit for our hearts' relief, for that is the very reason we suffer!

I am reminded of Daniel, who was thrown into a lions pit for His unabashed worship of the only true God. Later when they checked on him to their utter amazement he was alive and sitting with the lions.When he emerged, there was not a single scratch on his body, and he was freed. Could it be that God subjects us to these tests for our own freedom? Consider this: just like Daniel, we are less inhibited and tied down as servants for Christ after we have been tested than we were before we were tested. Rejoice! Christ did not suffer in vain, and neither do you.

Lord, thank you so much for allowing us to share in your heartbreak so that we may know you better. I pray that you would be glorified in my hardships. Do not relieve me of these struggles until I am ready to emerge from the furnace as the free and passionate Christ-follower you are making me to be! In Jesus' name, Amen.

Emily Jones

Once a Savior, Always a Savior

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NIV)

Last night I was in the bathroom, preparing to wash my face and brush my teeth before bed. I usually enjoy my "sink time," as I like to call it, because it gives me a chance to talk to some of the other girls in my dorm. Every morning and every evening there is someone there to talk to. While these conversations are typically short and topical, they can sometimes be very thought provoking. Last night's conversation was no different.

My residential assistant walked in and we began to briefly catch up. I noticed a mark on the inside of her arm, and I asked her if it was a new tattoo. As the conversation progressed, she eventually showed me a tattoo on her shoulder. It was a flower, and beneath it was the date of her grandpa's death. The conversation was soon over and I resumed my nightly routine. As I put the warm water on my face, I was reminded of a verse in Leviticus that reads, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:28).

I then began to think about our conversation. How strange, that the current fad of getting tattoos in remembrance of deceased loved ones is not as "new" as I thought! The inclination to do such a thing existed even in the days before Christ. So then I asked myself, have humans changed at all? I think the answer is no. We might have advanced technologically and evolved culturally, but spiritually we are the same as we always were: sinful and dependant. We face the same sins and trials that our ancestors faced thousands of years before us.

But isn't it comforting to know that for our unwavering sin, there is a source of unwavering holiness? A frequently emphasized point all throughout the Bible is that God is not only perfect, but unchangingly perfect. When you need grace, it can always be found in Christ. When you need wisdom, guidance, love, patience, strength, or all of the above- they are available in Christ. Always. If He has ever provided for you, then He will continue to do so because He is God and God does not change. I encourage you- take refuge in this truth!

Dear Father, let me remember that You are Forever and Holy and Loving and Forgiving, and I can have a wonderful relationship with You! Amen.

Emily Jones

I Want to Be New

And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Romans 8:11 (NIV)

I remember believing that I was alive. I remember submitting to the lies that confidence in self is the definition of happiness and that love needs to be created rather than accepted. I remember considering myself an experimental Buddhist, when in truth I was spiritually lost. I remember trying to be my own God. But most importantly, I remember giving my life to Christ last year on a beautiful July afternoon.

I walked out to my back porch to rest after a long day of tearful prayer. I slumped in the patio chair with limp limbs and leaned my head against the back of the chair. I closed my eyes, and gradually I began to find rest. My mind was still. I opened my eyes and saw the sky directly above me. The sky was a clean, pure blue and the clouds drifted so slowly. There was a soft breeze that blew the hair off of my face. Everything about the moment was overwhelmingly beautiful and perfect. Then, a tear ran down my cheek as I felt the Spirit in my heart speaking to me. He said, "Emily. This moment in all its beauty does not compare to mine and it does not compare to yours. You are mine; I love you. Rest, it is finished."

I slowly stood up, wiped my tears, and walked back inside as a new creation. That was the first day I ever felt alive! Beautiful, divine truths began to sink in one by one. I am worth dying for. I am forgiven. I will soon know God as He knows me. I am going to heaven. I know what Love is. I have something I can trust. God lives in me. It was more than I could handle, and my contagious excitement began to overflow. I was like a little Christian puppy and I could not contain myself! His love was so alive.

It is easy to be excited and joyful when you are young, and Christ's truths are still new in your heart. But as you grow older and fall into your daily routines, it is significantly harder to maintain that joy and "newness" you once felt. But, God does not change. Those things I realized as an excited Christian puppy are no less true today, than they were on that beautiful July afternoon. And you are no less new than you were the day you were first saved! God is still as good and as faithful as He ever was. You are still eternal and you are still perfectly loved. In fact, according to Lamentations, God's compassions are made new in you every morning.

The same Spirit that had the power to raise Christ from the dead lives inside of you this very moment. Now that is what I call life. It is not mundane. It is not easy to understand. It cannot be tamed. It is invincible and all-knowing. And it lives in you. So today, reclaim it- for you are a new creation, and there is nothing the God in you cannot do!

Lord, please remind my heart of the depth of your divine power. Revive me, making the truth of Your perfect love alive in my heart, so that I may praise You and honor You as you deserve. Remind me that I am new, and remind me that You are God. I love you. Amen.

Emily Jones