Today's Reading....

Inspired by the wildfires in Northern California:

"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" 1 Peter 1:7

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Revelation 3:18

I saw a picture on an Internet news outlet of a fire captain surveying the damage left by the wildfires in Big Sur in Northern California. He looked perplexed as if nothing he had ever seen compared to this swath of destruction that fire had left. I think we are the same when we come through a trial by fire. What we learn in our walk with God is much the same as what happens in creation when fire strikes.

We see only the immediate. The destruction of homes, lost lives, and pain beyond our understanding. Fortunately, God sees from every side of an event. He knew those fires would happen. He also knows that good can come from them. Just as our personal trials by fire are excruciating and devastating there is always good on the other side. He knows. He loves us. He holds us.

We become refined by fire. Our actions and reactions become more like His. In creation, some very beautiful and awe-inspiring trees would never grow were it not for forest fires. Check these out:

These men are standing at the base of 1 tree!

Here a church group is having service on 1 fallen tree.

Each of these pictures are of the Giant Sequoia Tree. They are native to Northern California. What makes them remarkable other than being the oldest living trees and the largest trees is that their acorns require "special treatment" to take root. A sequoia acorn will not root and grown unless it has been burnt. They require trial by fire to reach their fantastic full potential. Amazing isn't it? Here's another bit of information: any plant has as much structure below the ground as above! Now apply that to these spectacular trees that routinely grow hundreds of feet in the air even to the obscuring of the sky from the viewer below.

Now thank God for the fires in your life. He will bring you through it and you will be better off in the end.

Love to all!