Don’t Just Endure the Fire—Receive Yourself In It

Daily Devotional

Receiving One’s Self in the Fires of Sorrow

Jesus didn’t ask to be spared from the sorrow.
He asked that God be glorified in it.

And if you want to walk with Jesus,
you must learn to stop praying for the fire to end—
and start praying for the fire to reveal who you really are in Him.

We say things like:
“This shouldn’t be happening.”
“This pain doesn’t make sense.”
But sorrow is part of the human story—and Scripture never pretends otherwise.

The fire doesn’t break you. It burns off everything that isn’t truly you.

Kingdom Discipleship: A Word from Pastor Kevin

Sons and daughters,
Don’t despise the fire.
That’s where God meets you.
Not to explain the sorrow—but to form you in it.

You can’t receive your identity in success—you’ll lose your head.
You can’t receive it in monotony—you’ll grumble and waste the moment.
But in the fire of sorrow, something sacred happens.

If you receive yourself there—if you let God hand you you—
you’ll become nourishment for others.
You’ll carry wisdom, compassion, and power that no sermon could give you.

But if you fight the fire, or deny it, or complain your way through it,
you’ll come out more bitter than better.
You’ll survive—but you won’t be transformed.

Jesus came to His hour of suffering and said,
“This is why I’m here. Father, glorify Your name.”

Let that be your prayer too.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

• Am I resisting sorrow, or receiving myself in the midst of it?

• What shallow things in me is the fire trying to burn off?

• How might God want to use my pain to nourish someone else?