November 6, 2026, 5:00 PM
I hope and pray you are having a good week so far and will have a fantastic Friday. I am thinking of and praying for you today.
No one ever "truthfully" said this Christian life would be easy.
Jesus made it crystal clear to His disciples in John 16:33: "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
I believe it's theologically accurate to say God doesn't CAUSE bad/difficult circumstances in our lives. These happen as a result of the free will God gives us and the propensity of us humans to SIN.
However, God can and will use trying times and challenges in our lives to make us more like the people He intended for us to be.
It's like the example of the diamond or, for that matter, any other precious gemstone.
To create the beautiful finished product, the rock must undergo extreme heat and pressure.
That's what the writer of Proverbs 25:4 had in mind when they wrote, "Remove the dross from the silver, and a silversmith can produce a vessel."
What is Dross? Things that are "Worthless material, refuse, trash, or low-quality/trivial." In our reference to forming a precious metal/material, it is "the scum that forms on the surface of molten metal during smelting or melting."
What's the "dross" in our lives? The sin and unnecessary things that keep us from living as the Lord intended (for Him).
In spiritual terms, this process is called "Sanctification."
Sanctification is a BIG theological word. However, it is simply the act or process of making someone or something holy, or setting them apart for a sacred purpose. For the Christian, there is an "initial" sanctification that takes place at Baptism.
The "ongoing" sanctification continues throughout one's life.
Is this process enjoyable? No. Is it easy? No. But is it worth it? Oh my, yes!
Let's all remember what the Apostle Paul told the believers in Galatia: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)
This weekend is a big one at FCC. We'll be focusing on the importance of Missions & Worldwide Evangelism!
Tomorrow (Saturday, November 7th), we'll be hosting a "Meal Packing" event at FCC. The event is sponsored by Barbara Rendel and SCATTER JOY Ministries. Volunteers will be packing 25,000 shelf-stable, nutritious meals to be shipped at a later date to children & families struggling with hunger & malnutrition in Liberia, Africa!
We're calling our upcoming November 8th morning worship service "Mission Sunday" at FCC. We will highlight the missions and missionaries we support who labor outside the United States. One of them, Wayne King, will be with us to deliver the sermon.
Wayne is a dear friend of mine and has done a great job as the Executive Director of Mission Journeys and Global Bibles School (a ministry that is very near and dear to my heart, having served there from 1995-2015). Wayne teaches and trains ministry leaders in several different countries around the globe!
I pray you have a great weekend and that we may see you at FCC either Saturday, Sunday, or both! If not, then, Lord willing, we'll see you again soon. Until then, may God bless!
Your friend,
Greg Herriford
