Do You Have A Broken Tail?

Driving through Dothan, I got behind a little blue Toyota pickup with one of those Jesus fish on the rear window. The fish had part of its tail broken off and I had to chuckle. I wondered what happen. Did one of those Darwin fish bite part of the tail off or did the constant pressure of swimming upstream brake it off? Then my little chuckle turned to deep thought. Do you feel that the battle to live a pleasing life to the Lord Jesus has left you a little broken? It has become harder to swim in any waters, missing a part of your tail.
The Bible shows us from front to back that we as Christians should not depend on our own strength and abilities but totally trust in the Lord to use and work through us. That is where His glory comes from.  When we become broken and humbled we cry out for the Lord to heal us, when in fact, it is our brokenness that He rejoices in because He knows the end result. Our good!

The Fire of Sacrifice by J.C. Penny

Just as it takes the fire to burn the dross from the ore, so does it take the spirit of sacrifice in our lives to bring out the best within us.  Trials, labor, grief, are but the fires in our lives which are necessary to purify and bring out our virtues.

In business, sacrifices are demanded of us as well as labor, trials and economics. All these straighten our judgment, make for administrative qualities and cultivate resourcefulness

Is there any sacrifice worth-while? Yes, because of the compensation, not compensation of dollars and cents, or in name and glory, for the compensation to self.

Sacrifice establishes character. It makes for purity of motives, honor, dependability, power for service and unselfishness. It takes the fire of sacrifice to clarify a man’s mind and heart so that he can establish the worthier ideals for himself. A man who desires anything must be willing to go the whole way for it, not halfway. No man gains anything in the way of power and privileges who does not pay with a change in habits, thought and action.

“Lines of a Layman” by J.C. Penny, c.1956, Channel Press, Great Neck, NY, page 118

Wanted: Heavy Metal Christians

"You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways. So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, through it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honor, at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7 BBE

Are you going through things that are really stressing you out. Take comfort. There is a reason for all of it. The Lord uses trials in our lives to strenghten us. Just like you can't purify gold or any other metal without fire or heat, we will be useless without trials to make us pure.
The fires in our lives also reveal what kind of metal our faith is made of. Fire or trials bring out the worst leaving the best.
God is looking for those purified by fire and walking holy before Him.
God in it's purest form is still tanted. That's why it is yellowish. It is never pure. You can only get it to .999 percent. (Before the fall of man gold was transparent like glass. Like it is mentioned in Heaven. "Streets of gold transparent like glass".) Our faith however is worth more to the Lord than all the gold making the streets of Heaven. So He will purify for Himself and it will bring you great joy.

Rejoice in your troubles and will yourself to see the big picture. The outcome of your testing. Heavy Metal worth more than gold. Your Faith.

For the record: "Where in ye greatly rejoice, through now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perisheth, through it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7 KJV