Honest Reflections

One-minute devotional

Some people love conflict and find ways to instigate it.  One friend comes to mind who has a way of saying things that incite arguments.  But strife does no good and accomplishes nothing.  Living a life led by love doesn’t rise to the bait, covering the offense and promoting peace in all things.

When the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus, He always responded with love.  The story of the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11 sets a good example of covering an offense.  Talking in front of a large crowd, the religious leaders drag a naked woman before Jesus for judgment.  Caught in bed with a man, the Jewish law stoned people caught in this situation.  However, Christ had a different response.

Kneeling, the Savior began writing in the dirt, no one knows precisely what.  But after a few minutes, He stood and said,  “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).  Then Jesus knelt again and wrote on the ground.  Slowly, the Pharisees and the crowd slipped away until only the woman remained, whom Christ forgave, telling her to “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11).

Cover offenses with love, don’t allow other people’s ploys to manipulate your emotions.  Stay focused on the Savior and do all things with love.

Journal Question:

When has someone covered an offense for you with love, and how did it affect you?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you lead with love today?

One-minute read.

Jesus’ disciple, John, summarizes the command to love one’s brother by first explaining divine love.  Originating from our heavenly Father, manifested through Jesus, love as defined by God should characterize the life of His children.  Christ’s followers should leave a legacy of love wherever they go, just as Jesus did.  We love because the Creator first loved us.

Loving others for the sake of the Savior requires a relationship with Jesus.  Only by understanding divine love can we share it with others.  The Lord invites us to care for others as He cares for us.  Sacrificially, with grace, Jesus came to Earth and set an example for us to follow.  As we get to know Christ better, it should reflect in our actions as we love Him and others.

When I first began my journey with Jesus, I didn’t fully understand divine love. As I developed a more intimate relationship with the Savior and learned about the greatest commandment, I realized that life revolves around love, and through it, we grow and mature, becoming more like Christ.

Accept the love God offers.  Seek to know Jesus better, learning about His divine affection for us, then sharing it with all you meet.  Lead with love and become a shining light for Christ in a dark world.

Journal Question:

How does understanding that God loves you first shift your perspective about love?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you lead with love today?

One-minute read.

Experiencing God’s wonderous love will change your life, transforming it. Protecting us under His wing, no one will doubt the Lord’s presence in our lives as He carries us through the storms of life and helps us persevere. Jesus never said we wouldn’t have struggles in this life; He promised we would, but to take heart, He had overcome them (John 16:33). And our Creator promised never to leave nor forsake us when under siege from the enemy. We have the victory, but we still have to weather the storm.

“Well, I guess it’s a good way to go. I never knew him to be sick.”

At a recent women’s Bible study, one of the ladies shared the loss of a friend the day before. The elderly gentleman, unknown to me, passed away peacefully, sitting in his backyard while his wife napped inside. Now, in the arms of the Savior, he basks in the wondrous love of the Lord, his struggles gone. Our reward awaits us in heaven and gives us the hope to persevere through today’s heartaches.

Whatever issues you may face today, focus your thoughts on the Savior. Reflect on the ways He has loved you in the past, helping you overcome challenges you may have long forgotten. Keeping the Son in your eyes will help you maintain perspective and remind you that today’s troubles will pass and glory awaits you.

Journal Question:

How have you experienced God’s wonderous love when under attack from the enemy?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you lavish love on today and remind them that God has their back?

One-minute read.

Taking Ruby, our new puppy, to obedience classes, we met Milo and Gracie. The rolly polly English Setter cares little for training but has endless energy for playing with his newfound Boxer friend, Gracie. At the end of each class, all the puppies play together, but none quite as energetically as the exuberant pair that exudes love. Thinking about abounding love instantly brought these two new friends to mind, with no pretense, just joy, as they generously gave kisses and accepted belly rubs from whomever.

Dogs love well, forgive quickly, and anger slowly; they generously lavish affection on their people. God wants us to do the same for the people He places in our lives. Accepting the Lord’s forgiveness should motivate us to forgive others and extend to them the grace He showers upon us. Slow to anger and abounding in love, like puppies, we should approach life with an energetic spirit, sharing our gifts with others and loving them unconditionally for the sake of the Savior.

The more we tune into the Lord, the more love we will have to give. As we draw closer to the Almighty and allow His Spirit to guide and direct us, we will abound in love, leading with grace and compassion as we encounter the fallen humans of this world. Cling to the gifts of the Spirit and allow them to guide your path and help you love well.

Journal Question:

When you think of abounding love, what comes to mind?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you abound in love today?

One-minute read.

Jesus gave the disciples a fresh “new commandment” to keep them focused on what truly matters: love.  Understanding the human condition, the Savior knew that rivalry would disrupt the fellowship of His followers.  By instructing them to love one another, it would create a bond that would help keep them united, as well as show their devotion to Him.  Christ loved without reservation or limit, and He expected the disciples to do the same.

As we become fully devoted followers of Christ, we must do so with love.  Hatred separates, but love unites.  Becoming an active participant in Jesus’ mission requires us to find ways to love everyone, regardless of their differences.  God didn’t call us to judge; He called us to love, a verb that requires His help to complete.

Only by partnering with the Almighty can we acquire the necessary tools to show affection for our fellow humans.  Through God’s divine intervention, we can pray for our enemies, weed our hearts of hate, and become known for our love.  Left to our own devices, we quickly find ourselves mired in selfishness and misery.  But when we do what Jesus did and love as He wants us to love, we will discover a fullness of life that we can find no other way.

Love people to the best of your ability by partnering with the Savior and following His lead.  You will never regret it, and find the joy of the Lord as you follow His command.

Journal Question:

Who in your life has demonstrated the love of Christ to you?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you actively love one another today?

One-minute read.

Sacrifice expresses love, which requires community.  If we don’t have someone to love, we do not need to sacrifice.  Jesus came to Earth in human form as an act of love for His Father’s creation.  The Almighty gave us free will, the choice to accept His presence in our lives or reject it.  Without choice, we can’t love.  Christ chose to become one of us so that He could teach us unconditional love, setting an example that led to the cross and the ultimate sacrifice: laying down His life for ours.

At the time of this writing, a horrific flash flooding disaster in Texas fills the headlines.  Rapidly rising waters in the middle of the night caused destruction along the Guadalupe River as a 20 ft wall of water flowed downstream on the Fourth of July.  Amidst the tragic loss of life, stories of heroism began to surface as people sacrificed their lives to save the lives of others.  Love motivates us to action, and no greater love occurs than when someone lays down their life for another.

Daily life typically doesn’t require the ultimate sacrifice that people made in Texas.  But to love others well, we must learn to sacrifice our needs for theirs.  Finding ways to serve our neighbors helps us fulfill the Great Commandment and leaves the world in a better state than we found it.  Love God and others sacrificially and experience the joy that comes from other-centered living.

Journal Question:

How has someone sacrificially loved you?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you sacrificially love someone today?

One-minute read.

Driving down the road last week, a car cut in front of me, almost hitting my bumper.  The driver didn’t have a care in the world and thought they did nothing wrong.  Instant anger boiled up inside of me at their selfish, unsafe acts, and I wanted to retaliate.  At unexpected moments like this, I can quickly lose my connection with the Lord and let my human nature take control.  I’ve learned to take a deep breath, which helps control my actions and refocus my thoughts.  Doing a little preaching to myself helps me get back on track. 

“God loves them, and He expects me to love them. Jesus died for them, too.  You’ve cut people off in traffic before.  We’re all sinners in need of grace.”   Thoughts like these help me regain my composure and avoid impulsive actions, but it takes work and intention.

In life, we will have evil things done to us, whether intentionally or not.  The Lord has clear instructions on how we should respond.  Instead of repaying them with evil, God wants us to bless them.  For me, I start by praying, which helps me take the focus off me and put it on the Savior.  Remembering what Christ did for me motivates me to give grace to others.  We all share an imperfect nature that requires grace.  Taking the plank out of our eye helps us forgive the splinter in someone else’s.  Once we gain a new perspective, we can find a way to bless them.

Journal Question:

How do you repay evil with a blessing?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you bless someone who wronged you today?

One-minute read.

Thankfully, I’ve had many wise women in my life whose words gave me faithful instruction. My Aunt Margie, who God called home years ago, had a profound impact on my life through her words. When I needed refuge, I would run to her, and she always knew just what to say to lift me up and help me keep going. As a mother of four, she always made time for me and poured her love and wisdom into my life.

Sitting on her front porch steps, I sat at her feet and soaked in her wisdom. A prayer warrior and faithful follower of the Lord, her knowledge came from the relationship she had with the Savior. Attending Sunday service and weekly Bible studies, she never stopped pursuing Jesus, and from that pursuit, she gained wisdom. From her lips came sound advice that changed my life and gave me the tools I needed to pursue my relationship with God.

Develop a network of wise women in your life. Ask them to coffee or lunch and pepper them with questions. Whatever your struggles, share them with women of faith and learn how they have grown and matured in their faith in Christ. By doing so, you will build your relationship with the Savior and learn how to apply His teachings to your life.

Journal Question:

What wise women do you have in your life, and how do they help you grow?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you share faithful instruction with someone today?

One-minute read.

God, Most High, shows kindness to the ungrateful and wicked.  Starting from the end of the verse may help us understand the beginning of the verse.  Defining the ungrateful and wicked may cause certain people to pop into your mind, but does it make you think of yourself?  Each of us has complained about something in our lives we wish God had done differently.  And everyone has done something wicked, i.e., sinned.  Jesus came to Earth because of our ungrateful and wicked natures that needed saving from ourselves.

Now, when we think of our enemies, and whatever they did to become that way, maybe we have a slightly different perspective.  Judging them through our eyes can lead to incorrect assessments, but looking at them through Christ’s eyes helps us see their humanity, a condition we all share.  All of us fall short of the mark and need grace and mercy from above.  When we do good for our enemies, we exemplify Jesus and share His divine nature with others.

Praying for those who hurt you helps begin the process of doing good for them.  As we begin to see them in a different light, it will soften our hearts and help us love them for the sake of Jesus.  But we can’t do it without God.  In our human nature, they remain our enemy.  But when we align our hearts with the Lord’s and see things from His perspective, it becomes easier to live out the command to love our enemies.

Journal Question:

How does acknowledging your sin help you show grace to others?

Random Act of Kindness:

How can you actively love someone you deem an enemy today?

One-minute read.

“You choose your attitude,” Ron said a few weeks ago after listening to a podcast. I don’t know the speaker, but he left a lasting impression on my husband. The person had a simple approach to life; each morning, he chose his attitude. Instead of looking at the world from a point of despair, the person decided to approach each day with hope and anticipation.

As Christ’s followers, we should live in the hope and anticipation of what lies ahead, and as we wait, we should clothe ourselves in His cloak of love and do everything from that position.  We choose whether we want to love or not.  Doing all things in love comes from a predetermined decision of how we will engage in life, and with those God brings into our realm.

Every person you meet matters to the Creator, after all, He created them.  And God expects us to do our best to love them.  Each day, we face the same challenge: how do we love the people God puts in our path?  The person who cut you off in traffic or front of you in line, how do you love them?  When your spouse doesn’t live up to your expectations, how do you love them anyway?  When your child disappoints you with their actions, how can love help them do better next time? 

Every day, we must choose to do everything in love, and then we must figure out how to do it.

Journal Question:

Who or what challenges you the most about doing everything in love?

Random Act of Kindness:

Who can you love today that challenges you?