When the Text Says ‘LOL’ After Standing Us Up
Read The Daily:
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. 1 John 4:7
Jimmy’s nephew, Isaac, was supposed to come over for a cookout. He’d invited him and his girlfriend, and they said they were excited to come. He waited, and then… nothing. No call, no text saying they couldn’t make it. Later, on the drive home from a trip, He got a text apologizing for not showing up, saying they got ‘busy and tired,’ and then… he ended it with ‘LOL.’ Right after that, another text: ‘Hey, need something?’
Honestly, my first reaction would have been a little bit of anger. ‘Come on, man, do better!’. But then, like Jimmy, I was quickly reminded that I need grace from God, and I need to live that out. It’s his nephew that he raised like a son, He loves him.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own feelings when someone lets us down. We might feel justified in being angry or distant. But God’s love calls us to something different. It calls us to extend grace, even when it’s hard. It’s about recognizing that the people we love, even when they mess up, are still masterpieces. Choosing to love them, to help them when they need it, and to forgive them, is how we reflect the love that comes from God.
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Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
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Read The New Testament In A Year
But some from the crowd were cynical. “Black magic,” they said. “Some devil trick he’s pulled from his sleeve.” Others were skeptical, waiting around for him to prove himself with a spectacular miracle. Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure. “When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound. But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he’s beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered. “This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse. “When a corrupting spirit is expelled from someone, it drifts along through the desert looking for an oasis, some unsuspecting soul it can bedevil. When it doesn’t find anyone, it says, ‘I’ll go back to my old haunt.’ On return, it finds the person swept and dusted, but vacant. It then runs out and rounds up seven other spirits dirtier than itself and they all move in, whooping it up. That person ends up far worse than if he’d never gotten cleaned up in the first place.” While he was saying these things, some woman lifted her voice above the murmur of the crowd: “Blessed the womb that carried you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” Jesus commented, “Even more blessed are those who hear God’s Word and guard it with their lives!” Luke 11:15-28
Now, friends, I want to report on the surprising and generous ways in which God is working in the churches in Macedonia province. Fierce troubles came down on the people of those churches, pushing them to the very limit. The trial exposed their true colors: They were incredibly happy, though desperately poor. The pressure triggered something totally unexpected: an outpouring of pure and generous gifts. I was there and saw it for myself. They gave offerings of whatever they could–far more than they could afford!– pleading for the privilege of helping out in the relief of poor Christians. This was totally spontaneous, entirely their own idea, and caught us completely off guard. What explains it was that they had first given themselves unreservedly to God and to us. The other giving simply flowed out of the purposes of God working in their lives. That’s what prompted us to ask Titus to bring the relief offering to your attention, so that what was so well begun could be finished up. You do so well in so many things–you trust God, you’re articulate, you’re insightful, you’re passionate, you love us–now, do your best in this, too. I’m not trying to order you around against your will. But by bringing in the Macedonians’ enthusiasm as a stimulus to your love, I am hoping to bring the best out of you. 2 Corinthians 8:1-8