Friday, September 8, 2023
“I’m good!”
“I’m a nice person.”
“Everyone I know thinks I’m friendly.”
How many of you have thought something similar? I have let myself fall into that trap more than once.
But then someone pulls out in front of me and I have to slam on my brakes … or I find out someone said something bad about me behind my back—and the real Ned comes out. I find myself saying something like, “Oh, it’s on now!”
The truth is I am far from perfect. Even though I try to follow Christ’s example and love others, sometimes, when someone irritates me, I can quickly find myself walking on the other side of Grace Street. It is in these times that I need to take a deep breath and remind myself what God did for you and me.
Romans 5:6-8
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
When I take the time to truly ponder this and realize the tremendous amount of love it would require, I am left humbled and in awe. Think about it. I can’t imagine putting my life on the line for that guy who just pulled out in front of me or that behind-my-back gossiper, but I once was (and sometimes still am) just like that, or maybe even worse. Yet, Christ went through terrible agony and death so that none of us have to be defined by our behavior. He paid the price on the cross so that we can be forgiven.
With such a selfless and undeserving example of love shown for us, how can we, in turn, not show that love for others—even our enemies. While we may not ever need to lay our lives on the line for them, we can certainly follow Christ’s example and extend forgiving grace instead of saying, “Oh, it’s on now!”
Questions:
What is your first reaction when someone wrongs you?
Is it time to extend forgiveness and grace to an enemy in your life?
Next Steps:
If you have given your life to Christ and accepted his forgiving grace, recall how that felt. If you haven’t taken that step, talk to someone who can help you make that decision.
Purposefully think of ways you can extend grace and love to those around you, even those who have wronged you in the past.
Prayer:
Father, I can’t begin to fathom the love it took to send your Son to die a terrible death so that I could be forgiven of all my sins. I am in awe of all you have done for me. Please give me wisdom, patience, strength, and courage to extend the same type of love to those around me, even when I feel they don’t deserve it. When others hurt me, help me to take a breath and remember your example instead of reacting in anger. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Series Theme Verse:
1 John 4:10-11
10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.
This post was written by Ned Miller, a regular contributor to the LivingItOut Devotional.