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Heritage roses in the Casanova Gardens at Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.
Daily Devotion

Brokenness: The Principle

God often does His greatest work in our life during times of brokenness.

October 5, 2025

John 12:24-25

Most of us would rather live without pain. Yet God can—and does—a great work in our life during times of adversity.

In today’s passage, Jesus explains the principle of brokenness through a metaphor comparing our life to a single grain of wheat. If we hold a kernel in our hands, nothing will happen. If we carefully place it in a jar or on a shelf for safekeeping, it will just sit there. Kept in safety, the grain will remain unchanged.

However, if that kernel is placed in the soil where its protective layer is stripped away, something amazing happens. Before long, a sprout will emerge and start to grow into something different, useful, and beautiful. Moreover, that new stalk will produce more grains that can be planted, and the stalks those produce will go on to do the same. It’s an amazing cycle of life in which a single kernel can lead to countless stalks of wheat. But it has to start with the brokenness of one grain.

Jesus did not just speak this example; He lived it. After sacrificing Himself, He was broken and placed “in the ground.” From that brokenness came new life for us all (Isa. 53:5). Are you feeling broken today? If so, remember God has not abandoned you; instead, He may be leading you into a season of new growth and joy.

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