"The strongest trees grow not beneath the glass of a conservatory or in the sheltered and sunny valleys. The stoutest timber stands on Norwegian rocks, where tempests rage and long, hard winters reign. So the trials to which piety is exposed impart to it robust and healthy character. - Encyclopedia of Sermon Illustrations
 
"Henry Ward Beecher wrote: 'In the sultry insect-breeding days of summer, how insects abound! Every tree is a harbor for stinging pests. Wherever you sit they swarm around and annoy you and destroy your peace and comfort. By and by there come those vast floods of clouds that bring tornadoes and are thunder-voiced; up through the valleys and over the hills and mountains sweep drenching and cleansing rains. When the storm has ceased, the clouds are gone, and you sit under the dripping tree, not a fly, not a gnat, not a pestilent insect is to be seen. The winds and rains have driven them all away. Has it never been so with those ten thousand little pests of pride, vanity, envying, jealousy, and unlawful desire. For days they have teased and fretted you and kept you in conflict with conscience, affection, and all the higher motivations, until God sent you some great searching sorrow, some overwhelming trouble? In those hours He graciously sustained you and lifted you up towards Himself, so that, although you suffered unutterable affliction, you felt that it had cleansed you from jealousies, pride, envies, vanity, the whole swarm of venomous and stinging insects that beset you.' " - Illustrations of Bible Truths
 
Job 23:10 says - "But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."
 
Malachi 3:3 says - "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness."
 
Hebrews 12:11 adds - "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby."
 
Suffering and Pain. No one wants to hear about them, let alone experience them.
 
Yet Dietrich Bonhoeffer said - "Suffering...is the badge of the true Christian."
Richard Sibbes said that - "We must shed tears if we would hereafter have them wiped away."
George Swinnock said - "The best of saints have borne the worst of sufferings."
And David Watson said - "Suffering can often produce great depths of character, mature understanding, warm compassion and rich spirituality."
 
Suffering is the badge that we wear as Christians. We were Born Again, and we will suffer. We are called to it. We will never strive to be the "best of saints" until we encounter the "worst of sufferings."

Then we must be willing to suffer "unutterable affliction" -
...be broken and bruised by adverse circumstances
...experience great searching sorrows, overwhelming troubles, as well as raging tempests and "long, hard winters."
 
Then and only then will we yield "robust and healthy character" -
...be cleansed from jealousies, pride, envies, vanity, and the like
...emit the beautiful fragrance of Jesus' Presence in our lives
...and "offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness" - the "peaceable fruit of righteousness"

Satan will do every thing he can to keep us from living holy.
God will do every thing in His Almighty Power to bring about this effect in all of His children.

Malachi 3:3 - As "sons of Levi," we are devoted to God's praise and employed in His service. However, we are not to serve Him in any manner. He regards our person before our gifts or ministry to and for Him. Consequently, we are to be holy in character before we attempt to offer Him any sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to His Name.
 
Philippians 1:11 - When we approach Him with our offerings, we are to be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ."
Hebrews 12:11 - They are the "peaceable fruit of righteousness."
 
One fruit that goes hand in hand with holiness of living is peace. When we are in right standing with God, we will be at peace with Him and have no problem following after peace with our fellow man.
 
Do we want a closer walk with Jesus?
Do we want "great depths of character, mature understanding, warm compassion and rich spirituality"?
Then we must be willing to be subjected to the "worst of sufferings" in this life.
 
David English once said - "There is no authentic Christian service that does not have suffering written into it."
 
Malachi 3:3 - As "sons of Levi," may we determine that no matter what the cost, we will offer "unto the LORD an offering in righteousness" - one free from all "pride, vanity, envying, jealousy, and unlawful desire."

May God Bless His Word.
Connie