14 All in Verses for MenSample

Are you going through a test and trying to figure out why this is happening to you?

This is Vince Miller.

Our text today is from Proverbs 17:3. It reads:

The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts. — Proverbs 17:3

Such a simple proverb today, but the imagery in this text is incredible.

But to see the imagery, you must understand the individual components and how they work together.

First, you have a crucible. A crucible is a small bowl that can be superheated. In it, you place metal substances you want to purify. The objects of this text are silver and gold.

Second, you have a furnace. But it is no ordinary furnace. It is a furnace that contains a superheated fire. A refiner places the metal within a crucible and then puts the crucible into the furnace. Over time, these components work together to activate a purification process. In minutes burns off impurities increasing the purity of the metal to increase its value.

Third, there is one final object — the heart. And by"heart," the writer is not referring to the fleshy muscle that pumps blood through our body. In this case, the heart refers to the unseen soul within a man. It's the place where our innermost desires dwell. And these desires spark every thought and action. And this heart, our heart, is impure and needs purification. In Genesis 6:5, God declares:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. — Genesis 6:5

You see, the real problem with man is our heart. That's the root of all our problems. Our actions are not the real problem. They are part of the problem but not the source of the problem. But actions expose something we need to know — we have an impure heart. One that needs to be refined. And there is only One who sees every unseen desire. Only He can refine it like we refine metal. He tests it and purifies it to add to our value.

So if you are going into a test, in a test, or coming out of a test, learn the lesson of the crucible. Don't fight it. Don't run from it. Don't ask God to remove it. Instead, look beyond the crucible to the God who has a good purpose for this test — to purify you and increase your value.