Have you heard the story of
the blacksmith who gave his heart to Jesus?

Though living a more Godly life now, he was still not prospering materially. In fact, it seems that from the time
of his conversion, more trouble, affliction, and loss
were sustained than ever before.
Everything seemed to be going wrong.

One day a friend who was not a Christian stopped
by to talk to him awhile. Sympathizing with him
in some of his trials, the friend said...

"It seems strange to me that so much affliction should pass over you just at the time when you have become an earnest Christian. Of course, I don't want to weaken your faith in God or anything like that. But here you are, with God's help and guidance, and yet things seem to be getting steadily worse.
I can't help wondering why that is."

The blacksmith did not answer immediately, and it was evident that he had thought the same question before.
But finally, he said,

"You see here the raw iron which I have to make into horse's shoes. You know what I do with it? I take a piece and heat it in the fire until it is red, almost white with the heat. Then I hammer it unmercifully to shape it as I know it should be shaped. Then I plunge it into a pail of cold water to temper it. Then I heat it again and hammer it some more.
And this I do until it is finished."

"But sometimes I find a piece of iron that won't stand up under this treatment. The heat and the hammering and the cold water are too much for it. I don't know why it fails in the process, but I know it will never make a good horse's shoe."

He pointed to a heap of scrap iron that was near
the door of his blacksmith shop.

"When I get a piece that cannot take the shape and temper,
I throw it out on the scrap heap.
It will never be good for anything."

He went on,
"I know that God has been holding me in the fires of affliction and I have felt His hammer upon me. But I don't mind, if only He can bring me to what I should be.
And so, in all these hard things my prayer is simply this:

Try me in any way you wish, Lord,
only don't throw me on the scrap heap."

author unknown

And you have forgotten that word of encouragement
that addresses you as sons:
   "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline,
       and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
     because the Lord disciplines those he loves,
       and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.
For what son is not disciplined by his father? Hebrews 12:5-7 

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer.
I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days.
Be faithful, even to the point of death,
and I will give you the crown of life.  Rev 2:10

Psalm 118:17-19
I will not die but live,
and will proclaim what the LORD has done.
The LORD has chastened me severely,
but he has not given me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thanks to the LORD .


On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God
to be entrusted with the gospel.
We are not trying to please men but God,
who tests our hearts.       Thessalonians 2:4