Women’s Connect August Devotional

Rachel Greene   -   August 6, 2021

Ladies, pause. Take a breath, slow down, and sit with Jesus for a moment. Enjoy some beautiful insight from Abbey Sindt in this month’s devotional. How do you see Jesus or the Gospel displayed in creation? What insights has the Holy Spirit given you?

Our upcoming Walk/Run with Soul to Sole will be a great opportunity to experience Jesus in creation so come out and join us! Sign up here today!

 

Blessings,

Rachel Greene

 

 

Refining fire. I don’t know your story, but I have been around the church for my entire life and have heard this concept many times. Coal being refined into diamonds, fire refining gold or silver, etc. We see it in 1 Peter 1:7 where our faith is refined. We see it in Malachi 3:3 where Israel was being purified for righteousness. God takes what we have and can use affliction to meld it into something entirely more beautiful for His glory.

Refining fire is a heavy and painful concept. It is important and deeply relevant to our suffering world. I have lived it. Some of us currently live in this space, where the fire is burning so hot we cannot see the refining. Some of us have experienced relief from the fire and are enjoying the fruits of the refining. Perhaps you will face this kind of intense fire in the future (John 16:33) for it’s likely we’ll all be in it again on this side of heaven.

This year, I was able to walk amongst God’s breath-taking creation of giant Sequoia trees. I had learned of these special trees when I was young but it felt like a fairy tale to walk through them. While there, I learned something very interesting about the Sequoias. You see, if you look closely at the trunk, you will notice large scars. These scars are from forest fires that have raged in their incredibly long lifespans. However, these forest fires do not really harm the Sequoias. Instead, picture this: the protective coating over their seeds actually must be put under intense heat in order to shed the seeds and produce more trees. And, remarkably, the fire actually causes the tree’s bark to grow back thicker, protecting it further and increasing its vitality.
God has literally woven truth into creation! This fills me with wonder and admiration, which is how I left Sequoia National Park that day. But you don’t have to travel to a national park to see it, I assure you.
What truth have you seen played out in creation that has touched you? Feel free to respond with your answers – what a blessing it is when we can help each other experience God and His truth in a new way!