Christian Life Center
24 Days of Prayer Day 19
DAY 19
Locations & Times
Christian Life Center
3489 Little York Rd, Dayton, OH 45414, USA
Friday 9:00 PM
Day 19 – Being Kind to One Another – By Christy Phillips
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-12; 1 John 3:11-20; Ephesians 4:32
Devotion: When I worked outside the home, there was a woman who I worked with who was negative most of the time, seemed upset about everything, was constantly inconvenienced, and was generally disliked by everyone. One day, I was listening to her complain about her teenage daughter, and the Holy Spirit prompted me to give her some of the homemade pancake mix that I had just made over the weekend. Honestly, I didn’t want to. And for several weeks, I operated in disobedience until I finally gave her the pancake mix and told her maybe she and her daughter could make pancakes together, and it might be a way for them to connect. Several weeks later, she stormed into my office, demanding to know why I had given her pancake mix. But the core of her question was “Why were you kind to me, when no one else is?”
In today’s passages of scripture, we are told to love one another and not to repay evil with evil, to be like-minded and compassionate (I Peter 3:8-12) and to love not with words and speech but with actions and truth (I John 3:11-20). You see, it’s through our love that the world will notice a difference. Not love just in words or speech. But words that have actions attached to them. Love that is unmerited and seeks nothing in return. Love is what our enemy is trying to destroy. By dividing us into racial categories, political categories, denominational categories, socioeconomic categories, etc., he keeps us divided so that it’s harder to love. We are supposed to be like-minded in our mission to love one another. Love needs to consider others better than ourselves. Sometimes this love can be uncomfortable, but it’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus walked away from the comfort and grandeur of heaven to our broken, dirty, and fallen planet to love us into a relationship with Him. Jesus is calling us to the same love. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because the potency of our faith is in the humility with which we love others, not based on our feelings, but on our actions and the motivation of our heart. Ultimately, our pride is the poison that keeps us from loving like Jesus.
I finally got over being uncomfortable with my coworker and showed kindness to her like Jesus, and it all began with a practical gift of pancake mix. God took that pancake mix and turned it into an opportunity to share my faith. And my co-worker? She was so shocked by that pancake mix that it opened a door for more opportunities to love her (through practical means), and then it led her to Jesus. Because it’s the kindness we show, when it’s not deserved, earned, or easy, that people will notice. Who do you need to show kindness to today? Perhaps it’s someone in your own home, maybe it’s a neighbor, coworker, or a random stranger in the grocery aisle, but do your actions reflect the selfless, servant love of Jesus?
Prayer: Lord, please help me this day to open my eyes to the way I have been living. Forgive me of my pride and help me to cultivate humility in my heart. Help me prioritize doing uncomfortable things for you that are not based on my convenience so that I can love like you do. Use me Father, to show your kindness, that others might notice for your glory alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Scripture: 1 Peter 3:8-12; 1 John 3:11-20; Ephesians 4:32
Devotion: When I worked outside the home, there was a woman who I worked with who was negative most of the time, seemed upset about everything, was constantly inconvenienced, and was generally disliked by everyone. One day, I was listening to her complain about her teenage daughter, and the Holy Spirit prompted me to give her some of the homemade pancake mix that I had just made over the weekend. Honestly, I didn’t want to. And for several weeks, I operated in disobedience until I finally gave her the pancake mix and told her maybe she and her daughter could make pancakes together, and it might be a way for them to connect. Several weeks later, she stormed into my office, demanding to know why I had given her pancake mix. But the core of her question was “Why were you kind to me, when no one else is?”
In today’s passages of scripture, we are told to love one another and not to repay evil with evil, to be like-minded and compassionate (I Peter 3:8-12) and to love not with words and speech but with actions and truth (I John 3:11-20). You see, it’s through our love that the world will notice a difference. Not love just in words or speech. But words that have actions attached to them. Love that is unmerited and seeks nothing in return. Love is what our enemy is trying to destroy. By dividing us into racial categories, political categories, denominational categories, socioeconomic categories, etc., he keeps us divided so that it’s harder to love. We are supposed to be like-minded in our mission to love one another. Love needs to consider others better than ourselves. Sometimes this love can be uncomfortable, but it’s what Jesus did for us. Jesus walked away from the comfort and grandeur of heaven to our broken, dirty, and fallen planet to love us into a relationship with Him. Jesus is calling us to the same love. We need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable, because the potency of our faith is in the humility with which we love others, not based on our feelings, but on our actions and the motivation of our heart. Ultimately, our pride is the poison that keeps us from loving like Jesus.
I finally got over being uncomfortable with my coworker and showed kindness to her like Jesus, and it all began with a practical gift of pancake mix. God took that pancake mix and turned it into an opportunity to share my faith. And my co-worker? She was so shocked by that pancake mix that it opened a door for more opportunities to love her (through practical means), and then it led her to Jesus. Because it’s the kindness we show, when it’s not deserved, earned, or easy, that people will notice. Who do you need to show kindness to today? Perhaps it’s someone in your own home, maybe it’s a neighbor, coworker, or a random stranger in the grocery aisle, but do your actions reflect the selfless, servant love of Jesus?
Prayer: Lord, please help me this day to open my eyes to the way I have been living. Forgive me of my pride and help me to cultivate humility in my heart. Help me prioritize doing uncomfortable things for you that are not based on my convenience so that I can love like you do. Use me Father, to show your kindness, that others might notice for your glory alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.