Happy Are You Who Have Got Into CHRIST'S Fire!

Glorify GOD in the fire!
(George Whitefield, "Glorify God in the Fire!")

"Every branch that bears fruit 
HE prunes, that it may bear more fruit!" 
John 15:2

"I have refined you in the furnace 
of suffering!" Isaiah 48:10

Fire not only burns and purges, but 

it separates one thing from another.

GOD Almighty knows that we are often 

purged more in one hour by a good sound trial--

than by a thousand manifestations of HIS love. 

It is a fine thing to come purified, to come 

pardoned out of the furnace of affliction. 

The furnace is intended to purge us 

to separate the precious from the vile, 

the chaff from the wheat. And GOD, 

in order to do this, is pleased to put 

us into one fire after another.

There are some roads which 

are finely paved and smooth--

but the King's road to Heaven is 

strewed with crosses and afflictions!

My brethren, we need to be purged! 

How apt are we to want to go to Heaven 

upon a featherbed. But many go lying 

upon beds of pain and languishing, 

which is the King's highway there.

GOD will not put us into the fire--

if there was not something to be purged 

away. The grand thing, is to learn to 

glorify GOD in the fire.

We glorify GOD in the fire, when we 

quietly endure it as a chastisement, 

and when we bear it patiently. 

It is a dreadful thing when we are 

saying with Cain, 

"My punishment is greater than 
I can bear!"   (Genesis 4:13)

But the language of a soul that glorifies 

GOD in the fire is this, "Shall I, LORD, 

shall I a sinful man, complain for 

the punishment of my sins?"

We glorify GOD in the fire, when, 

though we feel pain and anguish, 

we at the same time say, 

"LORD, we deserve this and ten 

thousands times more!"

We glorify GOD in the fire also, when 

we are really and fully persuaded that 

GOD will put us in the furnace only for 

our good, and HIS own glory.

We glorify GOD in the fire when we say, 

"LORD don't let the fire go out until it 

has purged away all my dross!"

We glorify GOD in the fire when the soul 

can say, "Here I am, my GOD, do with me 

as seems good in YOUR sight! I know that 

I shall not have one unnecessary stroke!"

We glorify GOD in the fire when we are 

not grumbling, but humbly submitting 

to HIS will. When that awful message 

was brought to Eli, what does he say? 

"It is the LORD; let HIM do what seems 
good to HIM." (1 Samuel 3:19c)

Let my children be killed, whatever 

is done, it is the LORD'S doing!

We glorify GOD in the fire 

when we rejoice in HIM--

when we can thank GOD for striking us--

when we can thank HIM for whipping us!

Happy are you who have got into CHRIST'S fire!

  ~  ~  ~  ~

GraceGems has published J.R. Miller's very practical short article, 
"The Grace of Thoughtfulness".