Untarnished Beauty
Theme of the week: Growing Through Adversity
Friday, October 5, 2012
 1 of 1
Key Bible Verse: I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18, NIV) Dig Deeper: Romans 8:18-25
The beat-separate-reveal cycle [of sifting] is a deeply positive process, even though no "spoonful of sugar" will help this medicine go down—it pretty much tastes like death. But the reveal in this cycle is a moment of beauty that extends into a lifetime of beauty because that's what happened in Peter's story, and in my own story, and in the stories of so many others. That doesn't mean, however, that the reveal we experience always appears as a warming sunrise. When my wife exposes my defensive insecurities, I'm not tempted to break into a Mexican hat dance.
Revelation brings a blinding light where there has been darkness. And when the light comes on in a dark and long-neglected place, you're likely to feel physical pain as your eyes try to adjust. You're also likely to find a lot of ugly you didn't even know was lying around in your soul.
The point: many, many who have known what it's like to be sifted will not be doing the Mexican hat dance anytime soon. But if you are in the cycle of sifting right now, or have been, the revelation of your untarnished beauty promises to set you free and make you exclaim [the words of Paul in today's Key Bible Verse].
—Rick Lawrence in Sifted
My Response: What "untarnished beauty"—that is, godly changes in my character—has God brought about through my own painful experiences?
Thought to Apply: We are always in the forge, or on the anvil; by trials God is shaping us for higher things.—Henry Ward Beecher (clergyman, social reformer)
Adapted from Sifted (David C. Cook, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.
Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity. 1 of 1
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Heavenly Father, impress on my heart that you can bring good out of evil (Gen. 50:20), use difficulties to shape my character (Rom. 5:3-4), and teach me godly principles through suffering's lessons (Ps. 119:71).
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