In meditation over this seemingly ridiculous idea
My Friend began to speak to me on…
Tempered or pressure-treated glass.
Glass is first examined for imperfections.
‘His’ glass is cut to size and shape.
Abrasive sandpaper removes all the sharp edges.
Now the Glass is washed.
An oven heated to 1112 degrees Fahrenheit.
That Glass is put in an oven as hot as lava!!!
Then a cooling process called “Quenching”.
Brrr!
Quenching is a quick high-pressure air.
The outer parts cool first.
As the center cools it tries to pull back from the outer edges.
This keeps the center in tension.
The outer surface goes into compression.
Tempered Glass
Extremely strong!
In fact, four to five times stronger than regular glass!
And…Expensive
We are troubled on every side…
II Corinthians 7:5
…yet not distressed;
Ce are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken;
cast down, but not destroyed;
Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body
II Corinthians 4:8-10
Thankful for Trouble
God is working!
He is making this Glass.
Into His Tempered Glass
We are a “chosen generation”!
He desires to cut us into Shape
We are washed.
In the Blood of the Lamb.
With the constant renewal of His Spirit,
And the Word of God…
The Sandpaper is applied to our rough edges.
Aww! Here it comes!
Trouble on every side!
HEAT is applied.
So hot!
Lava, indeed.
Burning Heat!
My dear friends
Quenching!
Shivering!
High-Pressure Cooling
Our inner man pulls away from the world and the flesh.
When the Lord is through, honey.
We are FIVE times Stronger!
Expensive Vessels for the Master’s Use!
More like Jesus!
All from the Process.
Thankful for Trouble
But wait!
I got Trouble in my family…
There is Trouble in The Church…
And have we looked at the world?!?
There IS Trouble on EVERY side!
Hold on, reader!
God has “cut the glass”.
With His Shape in Mind.
Sandpapers applied.
The Word and the Spirit…
Abrasives to fit different people,
At certain times.
Removing the sharp edges.
Smoothing the rough sides.
Washing His People with the Blood.
And…the Heat has been turned up!!!
On this world.
Yes. Even on the Church.
Purging.
Tempering.
Increasing the pressure.
All to bring Great Strength.
More Costly.
Oh, and then…
Quenching
Are you experiencing the Chill?!
Pulling away from all that is not of the Spirit.
Don’t you worry.
God knows.
Yes. There is Trouble on every side.
Thankful for Trouble
Jesus is looking for Each and Every one,
To be His Tempered Glass.
In the End, His Church will be One Beautiful Tempered Glass.
Fitly joined together
WE need that Process, as individuals.
To be ALL that He wants us to be.
Who The Kingdom needs us to be!
The Church, also, needs this Process.
As the Lord is drawing by His Spirit.
There are many souls to be saved.
A lot of prodigals to come Home.
Without the Church being 5X stronger,
We cannot be what they need us to be.
And yes.
The Heat is being turned up EVERY day.
In this world.
There is Trouble on every side.
But don’t you worry!
Think yourself happy
(As did Paul.)
God’s Got You and Me.
In His Hands!
Jesus knows what He is doing!
Feel the Heat upon ourselves.
( Or maybe you got the Chills)
Sense the Heat in the lives of those we love.
Watch the Process Happening in His Church.
Know there is Heat in this world.
Be ye thankful!
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