Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 1 Peter 1:7, ” That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold which perishes, though it be tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. “

Background

Gold is the most precious of metals, currently valued at over $2,700 per ounce. Your five pound bag of sugar filled with gold today would return a cool $216,000. Even throughout the history of the Bible, gold was regarded as the ultimate possession. Kings collected it and then built their kingdoms with it, displaying for all the world the extravagance that their power and wealth afforded them. King David left for Solomon 7.5 million pounds of gold with which to build the temple, and King Solomon collected 50,000 pounds of gold from the people each year. In addition to its great beauty and ultimate worth, gold is also extremely durable. Though soft as metals go, its melting point is over 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit, which places it towards the upper end of the scale, and certainly beyond its less durable but common biblical counterparts, silver and bronze. In fact, the melting point of gold is even higher than the temperature at which crematoriums operate. Interestingly enough, our bodies return to dust before gold melts away.

Application

So consider, say, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace. Had the fire been able to accomplish the king’s wishes, the bodies of the three men would have incinerated, then any gold that they may have been wearing. And then according to Peter, their faith would have been all that remained in the furnace. In fact, it was their faith that kept their bodies and jewelry fully whole before the king’s amazed stare. The genuineness of their faith withstood the testing of fire and brought praise, honor, and glory to Jesus Christ, Who we know visited them in the midst of the furnace. And though the scriptures use the imagery of our faith being tested by fire, we should understand that our faith can quite literally withstand whatever heat it may suffer. More precious than gold, it is more valuable than our very lives, and with it we honor our Savior. That is why our works apart from faith are in vain. They burn like our bodies and our gold. But let your faith glow, your genuine, precious faith.

Charge

As we seek Him today, ask God to convince you that your fire is bringing glory, honor and praise to Jesus. View your testing as the mode to His highest purposes.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words