According to Dr. Elton Trueblood “Somewhere in the world there should be a society consciously and deliberately devoted to the task of seeing how love can be made real and demonstrating love in practice.”

That’s a noble goal to be sure but it won’t be easy. Often the people who need our love the most are the most unlovable. Maybe it’s the person you’ve written off as antisocial, the troublemaker. Or maybe it’s the gal nobody likes. The one who talks too loudly, the one who tries too hard. You can get started by loving that person.

“For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

Lord Jesus, forgive us for not loving our neighbor as ourselves. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

Compassionate people know what hurts others, probably because they have been hurt themselves. But rather than becoming bitter, they make peace with their pain, make it an ally instead of an enemy. And now they have hands to help others, and feet to hasten to the poor and needy. They have eyes to see misery and want and ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. What about you? Have you made peace with your pain?

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak…Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.”

Lord Jesus, fill us with compassion for others—the homeless man, or the misfit on the edge of the crowd, or the divorcee from down the street. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

This is a season of change in your life. The Lord is changing your friends, expanding your circle of influence. He is changing your ministry, but He is doing it slowly, like an artist fashioning a masterpiece. Don’t rush ahead. Simply live one day at a time. Be faithful today and tomorrow will take care of itself. These are the lessons the Lord has taught you, the truths you’ve learned to live by. Don’t forsake them now.

“I discipline [myself]…Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

Thanks Lord, for reminding us of the things You have taught us. In the press of living, we had let them slip. Here in Your presence, they seem so obvious, the way so clear, Your love so strong. By Your grace we will remain faithful. Amen.

Everywhere I turn I find myself dealing with people who are worn out and often looking for a way out. Sometimes they are reeling from a major catastrophe, but more often they are simply spiritually and emotionally exhausted. It isn’t any single thing that wears them out, but the cumulative weight of life’s daily demands. Still, what they hunger for isn’t escape but renewal. They want a fresh challenge, a new vision, a burst of spiritual energy that will return them to the fray with renewed enthusiasm.

“But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”

Lord teach us to wait in Your presence so we can be renewed. Amen.

If life has grown stale it may because you are putting too much pressure on yourself. Don’t try so hard to be perfect. Don’t always strive to live up to the expectations of others. Strive to please the Lord rather than people. You must never be deliberately offensive, but you cannot live on tiptoe all the time either. At the risk of repeating myself let me say it again, Stop trying to please others. Stop playing it safe. Don’t be so cautious. Strive to be conscientious and obedient but quit trying to please everyone. Get your affirmation from the Lord!

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the LORD means safety.”

Lord, make all we say and do pleasing to You. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

Things look different when you’re exhausted. Ordinary tasks seem impossible, normal relationships feel overwhelming and problem solving becomes intolerable. If that’s how you’re feeling you need some real rest and a safe place with a special friend. You need to focus on your relationship with the Lord. How long has it been since you simply enjoyed His presence, simply rested in His love? As Jesus told Martha:

“There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Lord Jesus we are asking You to help us to slow down and focus on the eternal instead of the urgent. Let us sit at Your feet with Mary. In Your holy name we are pray. Amen.

Nothing can compare with the joy of giving. When I gave my wool overcoat to a homeless man on a bitterly cold December day, I thought my heart would bursts, so great was my joy. That grateful man wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest in a bear hug. He smelled like damp clothes, booze, and body odor, but I didn’t mind. His was the holiest hug l have ever received. In truth, it seemed as if God himself was hugging me.

“He who gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but he who closes his eyes to them
receives many curses.”

Lord Jesus, thank You for allowing me to know the joy of giving. In Your holy name I pray. Amen.

Jesus’ best-known parable is “The Prodigal Son,” a misleading title if ever there was one. The hero of this story is not the wandering boy but the waiting father! Jesus uses this parable to teach us about Father God’s unconditional love, showing us that there is absolutely nothing we can do to make Him love us less—no sinful act, no degenerate deed, nothing. By the same token, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more. We are the objects of His love, but not the cause of it.

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Lord Jesus, may we never abuse Your unconditional love. Help us to always walk in the light of obedience that we might fellowship with the Father. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

If you’ve made a mess of your life there’s only one thing to do—take responsibility for your actions. Taking responsibility for what you’ve done is never easy. It’s a choice—a tough choice, but a wise one. The prodigal made that choice. He did not plead bad luck, or a downturn in the economy, or even extenuating circumstance. He simply said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son” (Luke 15:18-19). He returned home, seeking not pity but pardon, not understanding but mercy, and he was welcomed back into his father’s house.

“But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion.”

Lord Jesus, we trust only in Your mercy to forgive and restore. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.

The person who believes that God loves him as he is, with all of his “hang-ups,” believes the unbelievable. Such love is beyond us, it’s too good to be true. Now and then we catch a glimpse of it reflected through the selfless love of others. At other times it’s just a feeling, a knowing that is too deep for words. And with that knowledge there comes a security, a confidence, that enables us to risk loving and living in ways we never dared before.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Lord Jesus, help us to trust Your love more. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.