The
We praise God for the gifts he has given us. Gifts instilled by the hand of God that He will never apologize for (Romans 11:29). God was pleased to give us these gifts, gifts He wants us to learn to use for His glory. Sometimes we can’t understand why these gifts are not being used in the manner we would like. We think these gifts are drying up inside of us, or that we are running in circles trying to understand how we can best use these gifts. In this interpretation, I will help the reader understand how God uses a certain process to hold back or refine our gifts in order to sanctify us, humble us and to form within us a subservient heart (Sorge, pg. Introduction, 43).
In the
There is a big reason why the Dead Sea is so salty and the
…but why is it (The Dead Sea) so
salty? All roads lead to the Sea when it comes to the rivers in the area. The
The
The only way water gets out of the Sea is through evaporation. And boy does it evaporate! This part of the world gets plenty hot. When the water evaporates, it leaves behind all the dissolved minerals in the Sea, just making it saltier. In fact, it's through the dual action of; 1) continuing evaporation and 2) minerals salts carried into the Sea from the local rivers, that makes the Sea so salty (Keller).
I hope I have clarified why they do
indeed call it the
God’s Intimacy through this
Process
The
Colossians 1:24
Who now rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my
flesh for his body’s sake, which is the Church.
The process of God pouring into us
or working into us certain wisdom that will eventually become beneficial for
the Church, yet at the same time leaving us no avenue in which to release these
understandings or gifts, becomes a very painful process. It’s a dying process in which our motives and
desires become exposed then crucified.
Just like the
Galatians 5:24
And they that are Christ’s have crucified
(killed) the flesh with the affections and lusts (Desires).
God is allowing this process, along with our participation within this process, to crucify us. Not only is this process essential for drawing closer to the Heart of God, but the process will also teach us how to use the wisdom and truths we are receiving (Isaiah 50:4, Proverbs 15:23). Below the prophet Jeremiah wrestles with the Word of God festering in his heart.
Jeremiah 20:9
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
Jeremiah had determined not to speak the Word of God but he couldn’t, God’s words were burning up his heart (Psalm 39:3, Job 32:18). The above passage demonstrates the pain and frustration involved when someone has the revelation of God within them, but consequently that revelation is held back and is not poured into others. If God is churning into you wisdom and understanding (through the revelation process) and is not allowing you an avenue to pour out into others (minister) then the Lord is doing two basic things through this process. He is lowering you (Psalm 34:18) by killing your ideas about how you think your gifts should be used, and he is also refining and salting your gifts so that when he does decided to use them they’ll be well seasoned and efficient for his use (2 Timothy 2:21, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-4).
Mark 9:49-50
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every
sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewithwill ye
season it? Have salt in yourselves,
and have peace with one another.
This process is describing how the Lord will salt us with
fire (Sorge, pg. 19). For this
particular process the fire can be likened to our uncontrollable situation of
being constantly filled by God but at the same time not being able to minister
to others. We are like the
Remember, it’s not the
I wrote this interpretation to encourage you. We all want to be the
Do you want to become a life giver? Do you want what is stored up in you to feed thousands? Then hold on!!! God knows about your gifts and talents and He knows how to perfectly season them for His uses. Just be patient and know that even though this process is killing you, there’s a reason for it. Wait… (Isaiah 49:23) for God to irrigate you so that you will become a life giver to many who are in desperate need of your deposit (Matthew 25:14-30, Daniel 11:32-33).
Bibliography
Keller,
April 18, 2004 5:16:32 PM. http://www.extremescience.com/DeadSea.htm.
Sorge, Bob. The Fire of Delayed Answers. http://www.oasishouse.net.