Psalm 66:10-12 explains that God allows us to be tested as silver and that among other things, we are brought through fire and water. This is a similar thought to the instructions that God gave the Israelites in Numbers 31. After they had returned from battle, they were to pass everything that could be passed through fire, literally through fire in order to purify it. Everything else which could not withstand fire had to be passed through water in order to be purified. Even the returning soldiers clothes had to be washed before they could re-join the camp. Passing something either through fire or water in ceremonial terms is a purification process which in life terms as the Psalmist explained is akin to passing through challenges and tribulations.
We want our hearts purified and we want to become like pure gold with the dross (impurities) drawn to the surface and removed, but there is a process and the process must be completed. The key word is "through" and the implication is all the way through.
The first time I saw an oven with a conveyor belt, I believe was at a Burger King. They put the raw burger on the belt at the front of the oven and it came off the back perfectly cooked every time. Nobody sticks a spatula in there to remove one before it's done, er, unless something breaks. I have seen similar ovens for pizza and many other kinds of food. In essence, the item being cooked is being passed through the fire.
Back before conveyor belt ovens or ovens with heat on both top and bottom, the only way to fully cook an item was to flip it, to turn it. In our homes, we use pans. In more primitive times, hot rocks were often used.
Hosea 7:8 (NIV) remarks of a rebellious Ephraim (tribe of Israel), “Ephraim mixes with the nations; Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over."
Verse 11 of the same chapter says that Ephraim is like a senseless dove that is easily deceived. How many could it be said of in the Church today that because they mix with outside influences, because they have not been adequately purified, because they are like Ephraim, half cooked, are so easily deceived? I don't know the stats but I know it is many. I know it has been me on many an occasion.
How often I have run away from the process, the purifying, avoided the storm rather than going through it? Too many times to count! There is comes again! The same test that I didn't take the last time. And I want to advance? There is no advancement until this levels exams have been passed. Verse 9 states that Ephraim's hair is turning gray but he doesn't even realize it. Nobody enjoys being the oldest in the class!
Jesus wants us to become like him. He is Bread for the hungry and Water for the thirsty. When non believers come into contact with us, we should be as refreshing for them as a meal of pancakes and milk would be in the morning for a weary traveler who has arrived at their destination in the morning. But if we are not turned, only half cooked, then that non believer will be put off at best. They will leave our table muttering something about hypocrites because we claim to be something wonderful, a Christian, but in reality we are as inedible as a pancake not turned.
I was anticipating a dinner of b-b-q ribs several years back. When it was almost time for dinner, a large platter of ribs lathered in rich sauce was brought in from the patio and the house was filled with the wonderful aroma! "I want my baby back baby back baby back..." (if you don't get that part, don't worry about it) My mouth was exploding... I hadn't eaten and I was HUNGRY. I grabbed a rib and took a bite but I stopped mid bite. My mouth filled with blood and the temperature nearer to the bone was cold. Um... It wasn't sushi and it was pork... Not good!
I was severely disappointed because even though the cook tried to rectify the situation, it just didn't turn out the way it should have. I ate a hot dog instead and even went through a McDonalds drive through later.
I had been deceived by the reputation, the look and the smell. I had been offered a half cooked helping of ribs. Upon investigation, I found that the ribs had been put on the grill almost straight from the freezer. The cook had been running late..
As Christians, we need to make sure we have gone through God's purifying processes, eliminated the foreign elements in our lives by allowing them to be burned out. No longer avoiding conflicts, trials and challenges, but rather, willingly going through them with God's help. In America, we often hear it said, "don't jump from the frying pan into the fire." In other words, no matter how hot it gets, trust that the Lord your Great Cook will not allow you to over cook but that you will always come out just right. Tried in the fire and purified like Gold.
This is where I ask myself and hopefully you also ask yourself what areas in your life may be half cooked. In what ways are we no different than non believers? What are the flaws that we have failed to submit to the Lord to transform from weaknesses into strengths?
Pray with me? Father, may your Holy Spirit search us now and may we be open to see and hear about and improve in every area that we fall short. Cook me to perfection in the fires of this life so that I may enter into eternal glory with you and bring many with me who taste and see that You are good through my life devoted to You. Amen!
