A Bar of Steel
God's refining process, though painful, is necessary to prepare us for special service and ministries in the eternal world.
Charles E. Cowman preaches on the transformative process of God's refining work in our lives, using the analogy of a bar of steel being shaped into valuable tools through intense drilling, hammering, and polishing. He emphasizes the importance of being silent, still, and longsuffering, as those who endure suffering are capable of yielding the most for God's glory and the blessing of others. Cowman encourages patience, courage, wisdom, and trust in God's love, knowing that life's mysteries are part of God's preparation for eternal service beyond this world.
Text
"I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument" (Isa. 41:15).
A bar of steel worth five dollars, when wrought into horseshoes, is worth ten dollars. If made into needles, it is worth three hundred and fifty dollars; if into penknife blades, it is worth thirty-two thousand dollars; if into springs for watches it is worth two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. What a drilling the poor bar must undergo to be worth this! But the more it is manipulated, the more it is hammered and passed through the fire, and beaten and pounded and polished, the greater the value.
May this parable help us to be silent, still, and longsuffering. Those who suffer most are capable of yielding most; and it is through pain that God is getting the most out of us, for His glory and the blessing of others. --Selected
"Oh, give Thy servant patience to be still,
And bear Thy will;
Courage to venture wholly on the arm
That will not harm;
The wisdom that will never let me stray
Out of my way;
The love that, now afflicting, knoweth best
When I should rest."
Life is very mysterious. Indeed it would be inexplicable unless we believed that God was preparing us for scenes and ministries that lie beyond the veil of sense in the eternal world, where highly-tempered spirits will be required for special service.
"The turning-lathe that has the sharpest knives produces the finest work."
Sermon Outline
- The Value of Suffering
- God's Refining Process
- The Parable of the Bar of Steel
- The Importance of Patience and Stillness
Key Quotes
“I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument” — Charles E. Cowman
“Oh, give Thy servant patience to be still, And bear Thy will;” — Charles E. Cowman
“The turning-lathe that has the sharpest knives produces the finest work.” — Charles E. Cowman
Application Points
- We must learn to be patient and still, trusting in God's timing and will.
- God's refining process is necessary to prepare us for special service and ministries.
- We must yield to God's will and trust in His ability to use us for His glory.