I Choose to Be
Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns. – 1 Peter 1:7
You’ve heard it said, “Be careful for what you wish for, you just might get it.” When you put that in terms for a believer it might look like asking for patience and getting opportunities to develop patience. It doesn’t just happen, it is practiced, tested and continually in the process of being perfected.
There are many passages in the Bible that we memorize, repeat when needed and hold onto without fully thinking of the full meaning. Once such passage that I recently was praying for myself was Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. It came from my desire to draw closer to God and have a right heart for others.
If I’m asking this of God, He is going to give it to me because it’s His will that I would have a pure heart and committed walk with Him. But it also means that to achieve it, I need to be willing to do what it takes to obtain it. In simple terms, how bad do I want this? In my request, I’m asking God to refine me to be more like He created me to be and refining means to test, chip away and remove anything that is not of God. Refining is not easy or pleasant because it reveals the hidden things in our hearts and minds that we don’t want to give up. But the end result is well worth the time and effort it takes; a life that honors God.
In the early years of my walk with Christ we often sang a song called Purify My Heart. It’s about asking God to do what’s necessary in our lives so that we will become holy and ready to do His will. It’s a choice and it’s what I choose to be.
