One of the richest gifts God has given us is healthy relationships: a marriage and balance, friends who mutually respect each other—and most of all a strong God connection—can be the ticket to a healthy whole life. The full life that Jesus spoke about. 

 

Hebrews 10:24–25 says, “And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works. Let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but let us exhort one another, especially as you see the day approaching.” 

 

With the fast pace of life, sometimes we forget to squeeze all the gratitude we can out of a great relationship. Remember to regularly tell the people in your life how much they mean to you, and to give thanks to God for sending these loved ones your way. Write them a note to tell them just what they mean to you. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, it’s not about the number of relationships we have, but the quality. Thank you for giving people who are loyal and love us in return. Encourage us to love others in Word, and in deed. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

The Bible is famous for speaking in parables and metaphor. One of the most famous is found in one of Paul’s letters, in which he tells us the benefits of a life in Christ.

 

The “Fruit of the Spirit” is a list of nine attributes that a person filled with the Holy Spirit will model for the world. It’s probably no coincidence that Paul starts with…Love.

 

Galatians 5:22–23 says, “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”

 

Love defines what it means to be Christian. Jesus taught that we are to love others, even to pray for our enemies. John wrote that true love is obedience to Christ. This dimension of the Fruit of the Spirit causes people to turn from evil, husbands to cover their wives in love and protection, and many, many more benefits for the world.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, Your Word tells us that healthy fruit is a benefit to everyone; inspire us to offer the fruit of love to all we come in contact with. In Jesus’ name, amen.

God created humans with a spirit, soul, and body, and in order for each aspect of our being to function in harmony, our relationships should also be in harmony. 

 

From the beginning, God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden, talking with them and nurturing a personal relationship with them. In fact, throughout the scriptures, God built foundational relationships, whether it was with the reluctant leader Moses, or Hannah—the woman who wanted to be a mother more than anything. 

 

Ephesians 4:2–3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the spirit of unity through the bond of peace.” 

 

Right relationships are foundational to life. The Bible is clear that if one of ours is suffering, letting it drift is not an option. Make living in harmony with other people a top priority every day. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, you gave everything for us, created us to have fellowship—to experience your love and to love you in return. Help us to always be mindful that life is short, but relationships can last for eternity. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

What is true love? The question has been asked forever. Not everyone agrees. There’s a startling answer found in the Bible. The prophet Hosea marries a prostitute named Gomer. She’s predictably unfaithful to him, but God tells him something that’s strange to us. He told Hosea to take his wife back and restore her. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” 

 

How often does this world seem interested in redeeming anything? Rarely. And that’s why we need God to model perfect love for us, love that restores and heals. Hosea did not keep score—he only loved, and that’s a picture of how God deals with us, His chief creation. We reject Him and cause pain, but always He’s there waiting with open arms. I think we can do at least as much for someone in our lives. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, you’re forgiving. God, thank you for loving us and our sin and our filth, you long to restore us and we love you for that. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Kyle hurt Jenny emotionally many times, and then he left her because he said he wanted to have more fun. His young wife could barely function at first, but as she got her bearings, she decided to wait before making a final decision about her marriage. And then the day came: a series of circumstances left Kyle broken in spirit and in body. He had burned so many bridges that no one was coming to help him—except Jenny. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

 

Jenny made a choice to love her husband through his stupidity and poor choices. When he returned to their home, humiliated in his community, he came home to a warm place. 

 

Today, through dedication and hard work, their marriage is a model for others to follow, and this husband has been transformed—all because his wife’s love didn’t give in to hard feelings. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, we all mess up—sometimes horribly, but you always extend us grace. Help us to extend that same grace to those who hurt us. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Have you ever congratulated someone for a huge win in life, and then silently envied them? We all do it, but the problem is that kind of thing can grow into a monster if we’re not careful. All of a sudden, we’re so focused on what the other person has, we lose sight of the wins in our own life. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

 

Cain envied his brother’s relationship with God, and he killed him over it. That’s when that monster that covets was born, and we’ve been struggling with it ever since. 

 

True love does not covet what our neighbor has. True love rejoices in grace showered on others. If this problem lives in you, meditate on these verses and decide today to change your thinking, and your heart will follow. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, the enemy wants us to focus on what others have so that we lose sight of what you’ve given us. Christ is our standard. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

We’ve all known kindness in our life. Think about someone who’s been kind to you; it might’ve been a Sunday school teacher, or maybe it was mom listening to our bad day. But how often do you actually think about the importance of kindness? Is it an active part of your day? If not, I think you’re missing the point. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy. It does not boast. It is not proud. It does not dishonor others. It is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs.” 

 

Real love compels us to practice kindness, a daily routine, and for the right reason. And what is the right reason? God tells us to be kind. The choice doesn’t depend on what the other guy is doing. 

 

Be that person who does a lot of kind things—and his only audience is God. Give it a shot. Try a random act of kindness and don’t let others see you do it. Then reflect on how good it makes you feel. That’s the best kind of kind. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Father God, your Word shows us that we're blessed with kindness from you in countless ways. Help us to start giving back to those around us. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Having the patience of Job is a common saying, even if people don’t really know its origins. Job, of course, was the biblical character that suffered greatly before God restored him. 

 

But if you read the Book of Job, it’s not at all clear that he really had much patience because patience is really, really hard. 

 

1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

 

In 1 Corinthians, we have our blueprint for practicing perfect love, pure love. And when it comes to patience in this context, we are to train ourselves to be patient with those around us. That requires a willful choice to be patient with someone—as long as it takes—in an effort to project Christ’s love outward. 

 

If a situation calls for you to be patient, just remember that someone in your life has had to be patient with you, too. 

 

Let’s pray. 

 

Lord, you call us to be patient and we want to obey, even though it’s against our natures. God, help us to follow you in this. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Jesus—the greatest teacher who ever lived—spent a lot of time sharing wisdom in the form of stories. Once, He told His disciples a story that illustrated the importance of understanding that God never quits us, and we should not quit Him.

 

Luke 18:1 says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.”

 

That story was about a woman who didn’t give up in her pursuit of justice. Jesus then said that God hears our pleas for what we need, and He acts accordingly. He doesn’t forget or lose interest. Ever.

 

Isn’t that one of the most comforting things you’ve ever heard? In all the messes of our lives, God does not give up on us—no matter where we are. He knows everything about us, and His infinite strength is far too much for evil to overcome. And His grace covers all of our brokenness. 

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, thank you for your willingness to stay with us in the worst of times. You are our strength now, and forever. In Jesus’ name, amen.

It seems that a positive in our culture today is that we can admit our shortcomings. 

 

In the past, it was sort of taboo to tell the world you were not exactly all put together. Back in the day, a ‘hot mess’ usually referred to an overturned pot on the stove. But today, we know the phrase ‘hot mess’ has a whole new meaning—and our lives are often exactly that.

 

Thank goodness the outcome is not dependent on us.

 

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

 

Recognizing that you don’t quite have it together is a positive first step to moving beyond your circumstances. But the real key is internalizing the fact that God—and not you—saves the day. 

 

All we can do is admit our shortcomings, and then rest in the knowledge that God has it from here. And that’s an attitude the Lord will bless. 

 

God’s got you covered and blessed all at the same time!

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, you are so good to us. And you have been so much more for us than we can even imagine. Thank you for blessing us and not leaving us where we were. In Jesus’ name, amen.