God uses events in our lives and every day experiences to refine us into His likeness. He chisels away at us only to make us better. It may feel painful, it may be hard to take, it may make us question, but in the end if we let God we will be closer to Him and resemble Him more. (Psalm 66:10, Psalm 12:6)
Life
It’s a conglomeration of experiences. It’s a continual experience. It’s constantly growing and learning if we let it. Ups and downs and surprises. Joy and sorrow, hope and love, struggle and triumph. God combines it all. God uses it all. God is good in it all. (Psalm 34:8, Psalm 135:3, Psalm 119:68)
Hardship
Life is not without its hard times. Some so hard we don’t know how we will survive. We can doubt and question God. Sometimes things are of our own making and others out of our control, but God always offers hope and help. He is faithful and full of mercy and grace. (Psalm 107:1)
Throughout life, no matter what we go through God is working on our behalf for our good. Not because we deserve it, but because He loves us. He works good in it all. He orchestrates it so we benefit. (Psalm 92:5)
Trusting God in hard times is hard. When we can’t see, when nothing seems right, when we don’t understand, when we can’t feel God in it or near us. But God is there. God is always with us and will never ever leave. He is always by our side no matter what our circumstance or feelings. (Psalm 48:14, Psalm 68:19)
Experience
In everything God has a purpose. He makes a way through everything. If we trust He will show us. He will comfort and encourage us. All of our experiences in life affect us and we can either let them tear us down or build us up. (Psalm 18:32, Proverbs 3:6)
God walks with us through it all. He feels and understands us fully. He weeps with us, wonders with us and holds us. If we let God He will work wonders in and through us. (Psalm 23:4, Psalm 84:11, Leviticus 26:12)
Our experiences don’t have to define us, they can refine us. Through them we can grow and become more like Christ, developing into who He wants us to be. He creates character, patience, faith, endurance and hope in us. (Romans 5:3-5)
Good & Bad
God works His plan for us in every moment and every day. He works in us always. Through the highs and lows God is always with us, working things for our good. (Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20)
In the moment we may not see, but as time goes on and we look through faith we will realize and perceive the work of God in every detail of our lives. We will see how it all fits together.
Hurt, pain, joy and gladness along with peace and hope in Christ all mix together to form a beautiful picture. We can’t see the full picture now, not until Heaven. For now we see in part, but then we will see fully. We will see how God’s grace and love surround us the whole time. (1 Corinthians 13:12-13)
God’s Work
From the moment we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, God starts to work in us. He continues to work throughout our lives. Sometimes more and greater working of God happens and other times it is less noticeable, but He is always working in us. We grow more when we yield to His work and will for us. He works for our good, refining us to make us like Him, bringing glory and honor to His name. This creates our testimony throughout our lives and makes us bright lights for His Kingdom, drawing others to Himself through us and our lives. God will complete His work in us when we become like Him in Heaven or He when He returns. (Philippians 1:6, Philippians 1:9-11)
Shaping Us
God shapes our character into His. He refines us and makes us new. Christ came to undo the sin stain and strain on us. Christ was sinless, yet He took on all of our sin to give us redemption in Him. He left His Spirit with us in us from the moment we believe. His Spirit works within to shape us through all things we experience, through our whole existence God works. (Romans 5:17, Romans 5:18, Romans 5:19)
God shapes and refines us into the instrument He created us to be for His Kingdom. Like clay He molds us. Like a sculptor He chisels away at our rough and hard spots within us. Taking away our sinful desires and replacing them with His desires. (Romans 12:1)
Let God do His work in you. When we do we find peace in Him. Throughout our lives we see His work as He gently and patiently changes us on the inside which changes us on the outside. God loves us too much to leave us the way we are, but instead He wants to help us overcome our sin nature and the things that are not of Him within us. Even in the difficult times, He allows for our good to work out things in us, shaping and refining us more like Him. Everything is used in Gods hands. (1 Peter 1:6-7, 1 Peter 5:10, 1 Peter 4:19, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
Remaking Us
Inside God renews us. He is making all things new which will culminate at His return when we are changed into new bodies and God makes a new heaven and earth. With His Spirit inside us, God works to renew and remove the things of the flesh inside us. The more we heed the voice of God in us, the more we let Him in and walk in His Spirit, the more we are transformed into His likeness. (Hebrews 3:15, Galatians 5:25)
God remakes our minds and hearts. Our thoughts, actions, motives are made new if we let Him. By continually seeking God in everything we do we will find Him changing us from within. We will see our minds and hearts change. We will see with the eyes of Christ the world around us, the people around us. (Ephesians 4:23-24, 2 Corinthians 4:16, Psalm 51:10, Romans 12:2)
Inside and outside through our love and words and actions towards others, God works and remakes us. He refines us. God uses everything, every day, every moment, every circumstance to rework and remake our nature into His. The question is, how much will we let Him? God started when we believed and continues through our walk with Him, but God only knows how much He can use us, how big a testimony we can have, how big and far our light can shine for Him. Let Him fully work in you and watch the mighty things He will do through you and your life. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Building Us
God gives us strength, support and encouragement through all things. He is our shelter, our comfort, our solid foundation. He holds us together and wraps His arms around us. He carries us and lifts us up. (Psalm 68:19)
God is our encourager and supporter. Jesus encouraged His disciples. God uses His Word, others words and actions, the Holy Spirit, songs, books and much more to reach out and encourage us. His love for us moves His heart to reach out at the right time and moment. In faith we can see and hear His encouragement. (2 Corinthians 7:6, Romans 15:5)
As children of God, we are to encourage and build each other up. To put the needs of others ahead of our own. The Apostles called for the early Christians to build and lift each other up. God can use us to be an encouragement to others. (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 1 Corinthians 14:3)
A Work in Progress
God is working on our behalf all the way. He is patiently and gradually through His grace, renewing and remaking us. We won’t be perfect until Heaven, but here on earth we can rest in His love for us. We can trust in His plan for us. We can trust His goodness. Let Him in and find peace. (Philippians 4:7)
Closer & Deeper
God longs for a close relationship with us. He draws us to Himself and wants to keep us close and show us what He sees. He wants to teach us the marvels that of His Word and His ways. He wants to use us in a special part in His kingdom. (James 4:8, Hebrews 10:22)
Keeping our eyes on God and seeking Him every day keeps Him front and center in our lives and hearts. Through prayer and dedication, striving to follow God with His strength, opens our way to a greater and closer relationship with God, our creator. God’s love waits for us. No matter how far or long we have been away from Him, we can come back and He will help us. He will pull us close again, if we sincerely seek Him. (Hebrews 12:2)
By letting God work we learn and grow in Him and our joy and love will overflow to the world around us. The more we walk with God we can look back and see His work and grace in our lives and we can look forward to a future full of hope.
Hope
We have hope, we who are in Christ. God is working in us. Jesus overcame the world. Our hope, our rock, our solid foundation is Christ. Trust Him through all things. He is making you for His Kingdom. To share in His work here in this world and to bring you home to Him to live forever in His everlasting Kingdom with Him forever. (Jeremiah 29:11)
We were never meant to be apart from Him and broken by sin. God calls us to Himself. He made a way for salvation and worked a good plan for you including every detail of your life. He is preparing a place for us and will return to receive us, so that we can be with Him forever. (John 14:2-4)
Throughout our relationship with God, He uses our life and His grace to refine our hearts. Let’s grow in Him together towards the hope of Heaven while shining His light and living in the joy of our salvation.
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