The Mined of Christ

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.  My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.  I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.”  Job 23:10-12

Job, in his journey of holiness, is confronted with a faith fork in the road.  It is a crisis of belief that will determine the path ahead.  The road on the left is paved with the philosophies of his buddies.  It is a self-made theology that says “you just need to do more to be at peace with God.” Good ol’ Eliphaz bubbles over with his babbling beliefs…

“Submit to God and be at peace with him…”  Eliphaz is basically pointing out the supposed sin in Job’s life.  “Surely,” he would say, “God is testing you in order to deal with and cut away all the sin in your life.  Boy, Job, you must really be out of fellowship with God.”   Ever had a friend like that?  They seem to always have the right answers in their hip pocket.  They toss out their religious jargon offering up simple solutions.  Yet, the road to holiness is not always paved so clearly.  Faith is believing even when you don’t see the road ahead.  Faith is driving without your lights on.  It does not always involve the simple, quick-fix methods that some want to offer up.

So, Job takes the other path.  The path of trusting obedience.  The path of simple faith.  He answers in the next chapter with something that is profoundly applicable for our individual journeys. The testing that God allowed in his life was for the purpose of bringing forth the gold of integrity and character.  He had been faithful.  He had been keeping God’s Word.  Was he perfect?  Of course not.  Yet, his heart was set on journey. 

Testing is God’s tool of mining the heart of every believer.  To mine is to go deep in order to find treasure and gold.  To get there, you must cut through layers of dirt and rubble.  But that is not the goal.  The goal and ultimate desire is to find hidden treasure.  Hidden treasure is only found in the depths of the earth.

Deep within every believer is a gold mine, a treasure beyond measure.  It is the hidden character of Christ.  The fruit of His Spirit.  The mind of Christ.  These jewels are buried deep within the heart of the chosen ones.  Yet, they need to be discovered.  They need to be mined.  So, God uses testings and trials to reveal and expose these treasures.  Certainly there are layers of sin and pride that must be carved through.  There is much earthy dirt and rubble that must be hammered through.  Yet, that is not the goal.  God’s desire is to mine deep in order to bring forth the mind of Christ.  To have the mind of Christ, you must be the “mined” of Christ. 

Today, be thankful for seasons of testing.  Others, even friends, may try to offer up man-made solutions about your unique journey.  They may say that you are out of fellowship with God.  They may want to concentrate on the rubble in your road.  Though their path looks paved and well manicured…be cautious.  To steer clear of testing is to steer clear of God.  Embrace the testing as the mining tool of God.  Get ready to go deep.