Discipleship Point
Luke 6:35-36
35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Pondering Point
A valuable asset of healthy disciples is an ability to love and enjoy people. Jesus loves people and He enjoys people. Now, that does not mean that He didn’t have enemies and people who wished Him harm. He did, but He learned deal with them as well without losing His kind heart for all people. Jesus also managed to do this loving and enjoying while dealing with lots of broken relationships. He managed to stay healthy in unhealthy arenas. In fact, He brought health to unhealthy people and unhealthy environments.
While we may not be able to change every unhealthy situation, we can bring our health to unhealthy environments and people. We can pray to not let other’s ill-health affect us, but to instead allow our Spirit-led health to impact and influence them. More on that next week. For now, focus on loving enemies and doing good.
Discipleship Prayer
Jesus, You came as a healthy, whole human being into an unhealthy, sinful world. You allowed Yourself to be personified as a sinful human being in this world by sinful people for whom You died. Help me to know that You will be my defender and stand up for me, and that I don't need to exact vengeance. Rather let me witness of Your great mercy not just in my life, but of Your willingness to be merciful in the lives of all other people. Help me to be healthy regardless of the environment I’m in and by Your Holy Spirit to bring health to unhealthy environments. In Your name I pray. Amen.
Pondering Point
What might you be able to do to improve the health of your relationships with others? My response:
Micro-Meditation
Psalm 51:3-6
- For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me. - Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge. - Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me. - Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.
Read the versus of the Psalm.
Mark the words or phrases that catch your attention.
Meditate: talk (or better, write) with God about those words. Ask him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect responses.
Teaching or Command of God
1 John 3:18-20
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
The Promise
James 1:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Pondering Point
How can God’s desire for faithfulness in you (Psalm 51:6) be experienced? Do you believe that, based on God loving you first, you can love him – and others?