Refined

We as Christians can be sure of so many things.

We can freely trust in God because He has done it ALL before us.

We can fall safely back into His arms knowing His security is solid.

We can also know, that when we ask of Him in faith, He answers.

When we ask the Lord to begin preparing us, 

to began weeding out the wicked and replacing with righteousness, He answers. 

And for us He answered. Swiftly.

I have mentioned before we are moving to Vermont. 

The least churched state in America.

A battlefield for believers.

 Confirmed in our calling, we began to pray the Lord would start growing us.

And there is no growing without some growing pains. 

Pruning isnt done with a dull pair of kiddy scissors, it is done with sharp shears.

Pruning is not randomly snipping and hacking here and there like hedge trimming.

Pruning is done decisively, efficiently, it is done to allow the plant to produce more and better fruit.

Each pruning decision is made for the better of the plant as a whole.

Not only are we pruned as fruitful trees, we are also being refined as gold.

We are being cast, purposefully, into a fire, 

in order that on the other side of that burn is a beautiful, flawless, precious resource.

We can trust that in the midst of the heat, in the flames that burn the hottest.

Jesus stands there.

As with the three believers in the king's hottest furnace, God is there.

Our God is the ultimate gardener and metal worker. 

He prunes and refines, and during the heat and the cutting He stands there with us.

Whether in the Southern belt, or the dark winters of Vermont,

Christ stands there.

(image found here https://www.google.com/search?q=vermont&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=8XHiUs2RGqnMsQT3j4DIDw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAg#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=6NNMv9JdKr9djM%253A%3BTv_xBZKblIm46M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.michaelyamashita.com%252Fblog%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252FVermont_Fall.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.michaelyamashita.com%252Fblog%252F%253Fp%253D60%3B1140%3B738)