The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading PlanSample

Refining Fire

Out of the soil of suffering, God grows a depth in us that can’t be grown in any other way.

Read

Mary had known deep pain when her brother, Lazarus, had died. A few days after Lazarus’ death, Jesus had come. He had wept with her, stepping into her pain, and then had miraculously brought her brother back to life. Jesus had walked with Mary through deep affliction, and he had seen her through it. Now, without hesitation or inhibition, Mary freely expressed her love for Jesus — during a dinner held in Jesus’ honor. “Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3). This perfume was incredibly valuable — worth as much money as an ordinary worker would earn in an entire year (see John 12:5). What a beautiful display of affection!

Think

The most beautiful people you know have experienced deep pain. When gold or silver is being refined, the metals are heated to an intensely high temperature and the impurities are sloughed off, leaving only pure metal behind. When extreme pressure is applied to coal for a long period of time, it becomes a diamond. In the same way, when we walk through fire or pressure, what’s left is breathtaking and beautiful.

Live

People who have grown in God through intense suffering become a blessing to everyone they encounter. They fill a room with a sweet fragrance similar to Mary’s perfume. They radiate a joy and strength that seems unshakable and is founded on truth rather than circumstance. They have a deep peace, they’re secure in who they are, and they love people well. The refining fire of suffering has removed the impurities that kept them from fully radiating God’s love. God transforms deep pain into deep beauty.

Taken from NIV The Great Rescue