Week 3 | Day 1 | Inconvenient Love
Command:
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44 (NIV)
Read:
Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Romans 12:10-11 (CEV)
Reflect:
According to Dictionary.com, grace is “the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God.” God loves me and shows me grace in ways far beyond my comprehension, but I often miss opportunities to reflect that grace to others.
Several years ago, I was hosting our large extended family for a holiday meal. I originally created the menu to reflect our favorite family traditions. Although many family members now had various dietary restrictions, I figured everyone would find something that they would be able to eat. Our family diets included non-dairy, gluten-free, vegan, poultry-free, dedicated carnivores, and those with diabetic restrictions. As you can imagine, coordinating a meal to please everyone would entail a lot of work. No one had asked me to specifically consider their personal diet.
Eventually, I paid attention to the Holy Spirit’s still small voice that told me to intentionally include food for everyone, even if it was more work. The menu came together. Later, as each person saw that I’d considered their needs by making special dishes they could enjoy, their eyes lit up. I could see that they felt loved, and my heart was full too.
The way of grace is to listen, obey and love others generously…even when it’s inconvenient.
React:
How can you love others more generously? Ask God to show you opportunities to show unmerited grace this week. Listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.
Pray:
“Heavenly Father, loosen my grip on the things of this world. Lead me in the dance of spontaneous, cheerful giving, and let that generosity remind me always of your grace toward me, which I in no way deserve. In your Son's name I pray, Amen.” ~ Max Lucado, Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine