Zechariah 13:9 —I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure. I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”
Jesus quoted the prophet Zechariah on the night that He was betrayed and arrested. He said, ”It is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’” (Matthew 26:31). Jesus knew that He would be killed and that the sheep of Israel would be scattered; but a remnant of the people would be refined like silver and gold, and they would be God’s people.
It is tragic that so many people reject God, reject the truth, and reject Jesus Christ and His gift of grace for salvation. People get themselves so wrapped up in fears, selfishness, and pride that they blind themselves to the light when it comes to them. They refuse to acknowledge God as their Creator because that would make them accountable to Him for their lives.
Though people reject Him, God still loves them, and He does whatever it takes to save as many as possible. God will even scatter them and put them through fiery trials to give them opportunities to turn and call on His name. The book of Revelation reveals Christ’s great love for people. Even in the midst of terrible tribulations, Jesus is reaching out to anyone who will call on His name for salvation.
Sometimes, the only way God can help us is through something that causes us pain. Jesus personally experienced this. The only way He could offer salvation was to endure the cruel rejection of His own people and suffer a lonely and excruciating death on the cross. Hebrews 13:12-13 describes Jesus’ suffering “outside the gate” for us and invites us to “go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured.” The cross serves as a place where death to ourselves refines us, purifies us, and draws us closer to our God.
12/10/2024 Devotional
"Sometimes, the only way God can help us is through something that causes us pain."
Revelation 2:10 NLT
[10] Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.
When I see my child going through hardships, I feel like I should do it for them. However, I think that this is also training that the Lord is giving them in God’s plan. As I get to know God more, it seems that there are fewer things in this world that are …