The anticipation of a new leader comes with new expectations for those who follow. Are we prepared in our own hearts to welcome the one for whom we prepare? God’s expectations stand for all time – they don’t change. Which means, we must change. All change is hard. This change is impossible – for us. Thank God his grace and mercy never change. He sends the refiner – the one who applies the heat so that the silver is purified. Our God calls us to return to him in repentance, acknowledging our sin and letting it be burned away, and God returns to us to restore, to refine, and purify through the miracle of justification and faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit will continue to refine and purify us as God’s holy children – purified silver in the hands of a master silversmith.
December 8, 2024