“But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” – Job 23:10

Several years ago I read this story, by an unknown author, of a blacksmith who had trusted Christ as his Savior:

Though living a more godly life, still he was not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time of his conversion more trouble, affliction and loss were sustained than ever before. Everything seemed to be going wrong.

One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped by to talk to him awhile. Sympathizing with him in some of his trials, the friend said, “It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don’t want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God’s help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse. I can’t help wondering why that is.”

The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought the same question before. But finally, he said, “You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse’s shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more. And this I do until it is finished.”

“But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won’t stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don’t know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse’s shoe.”

He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near the door of his shop. “When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper, I throw it out on the scrap heap. It will never be good for anything.”

He went on, “I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don’t mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be. And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this: “Try me in any way you wish, Lord, only don’t throw me on the scrap heap.” 

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” – Neh. 8:10

Someone once said “Life is like a bicycle-stop peddling and you fall off.”

Another, unknown to me, said, My greatest heroes are those who “keep peddling” in life. Regardless of the losses, pain, and hardships, they keep on keeping on. You will not catch them in the “self-pity” trap. Somewhere in their hour of pain they still find the strength to help others. They have learned that even in pain, they don’t have to be a pain. They have discovered a very important principle: “What you give to life is returned to you.” They focus on the important things: God, family, friends, the needs of others, and work. Happiness finds those who give life their best shot.

Today is a gift from God. Tomorrow we may leave this earth. This present moment is all we have to learn to love and forgive. All stress and worry leads to calamity. So live for Jesus today. Serve and obey Him, too. You’ll find real peace and joy awaiting you in His presence!

A joyful spirit adds life to your years. Please don’t let your past determine your future. Be joyful today. And remember: If you stop peddling you fall. 

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” I Corinthians 15:34

On two occasions, the Bible records that Paul spoke something to shame the members of the Corinthian church. Webster defines shame as “a painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something which injures reputation; dishonor or disgrace.” Shame produces an emotional pain brought on by the feeling of guilt. Though shame is almost always perceived in our day as a very negative emotion, in this case, it is both desirable and healthy. Paul wanted the Christians who read these words to feel personal failure and pain because of their negligence, which was sinful. They needed to be ashamed. They needed to feel the pain of shame.

One reason there is so little true repentance in our generation is because of the absence of shame. Society has taught people that they bear no personal responsibility for their choices. There is no connection between their decisions and the sad condition of their lives; and it is not productive to accept blame and thus shame. However, shame has an incredible power to help us improve because we feel pain about where we have been wrong. Paul knew that the church of Corinth probably would not change the way they were unless they were made to feel ashamed of themselves. In their case, the Christians were guilty of neglecting their responsibility to tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ, and the man of God wanted them to take this very seriously.

What about us? Should we be ashamed of ourselves? Paul said, “some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.” They were to be ashamed that there were people in their area of influence that did not have the knowledge of God’s grace and the gift of salvation. It should cause them pain to know that people were destined for hell, and had not heard the Gospel. They had not fulfilled their responsibility, and Paul wanted them to feel the guilt of their neglect. Could the same not be said of us?

God does not want His children to live in continued guilt of forgiven sins, but He does want us to take sin seriously. We need to face the facts when we have failed to be obedient to God. It is good for us to own up to our wrong and feel the shame of being guilty, that we might turn from our sins and be forgiven by God’s grace.- Thomas Smith

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346