Devotionals for the Heart: Loving People and Living for Jesus Christ

Start with the end in mind
A devotional by Patricia Russell

"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." —Philippians 3:14 (NLT)

Have you ever heard the words “start with the end in mind” in relation to planning an event, a recording or any project? What do you think the reason for this is?

The end is what you want to accomplish. The end is the culmination of all the plans, preparation and processes you’ve gone through to arrive at the destination. So, in order to write the plan, having the end in mind and working backwards is ideal.

When one’s life has ended, and final goodbyes are planned to honor the person by having a homegoing service, there are many people who want to share their thoughts about the person and what they meant to them. I have often thought about who would say what about me at my homegoing. The more we think about it is the more we want to live with that end in mind. What I mean is, I want to love people so well that if I die before Jesus Christ returns to Earth to take His faithful followers home to Heaven, the life I lived leaves a legacy behind showing everyone that I loved people, I loved Jesus, and I used my God-given gifts for the benefit of others.

The best person to teach us how this is actually lived out is Jesus Christ. On the night of His arrest, He gathered His disciples together for dinner. He asked them to eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of Him. So that when He died, they would remember and reflect on what He taught them. Now, the question is, “Are we following Jesus, serving Him and others, and living intentionally with purpose from day to day?”

We should also ponder these questions: “Do we do things, share knowledge with people, encourage and empower others so that we are not keeping the knowledge to ourselves?” and “What mark are we intentionally leaving on this world so that when we leave, they will know we were here? Will people know through the way we lived and legacy of faith we leave behind, that Jesus loves them?”

The apostle Paul had accomplished so much when he said in Philippians 3:12, “I press on”. 

He had not finished. He still had more to do. He was focused on the end goal. The goal kept him moving in the right direction. He continued by saying in Philippians 3:14: “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

The race was ongoing, and he was not quitting. No one wants to quit when there is a “prize” to gain. And when God is giving out prizes you know it’s gonna be good.

The Apostle Paul calls us who are spiritually mature to agree to run to win. How do we do this? We listen and look for people who need encouragement to keep going. You know how just one word of encouragement can change your life for the better. Just one word can push you forward when you feel like quitting. Weeks will come, months will pass, and years will close but whatever you do, don’t give up. Focus on the goal which will keep you pressing forward despite the discouragement and distractions. Stay determined like Paul and run to win!

Let’s Pray:
Father God, we praise You and thank You for everything. You know the end of our days and it is your desire for us to receive the prize you have set before us. Lord, we believe your Word and know you will strengthen us as we run this race of life to win! In Jesus’s Name we pray, Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Press On” by Selah. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Patricia is an encourager. She passionately uses her gifting as an author, speaker, pastor, recording artist, worship leader and coach. 

Stronger Resilience: Stories to Empower the Mind, Body & Spirit (a book that she wrote) was an Amazon Bestseller in October 2020.

Patricia sings! She has released two CDs titled Draw Me Nearer and Lord I Trust You.

She also travels to speak to audiences internationally.

When she is not ministering to save souls in God’s Kingdom, Patricia enjoys reading, writing and connecting like-minded people who can sharpen each other in the journey to their dreams and goals.

As a two-time breast cancer overcomer, her desire is to coach others to live life to the fullest by understanding their gifting from God and using it.

~*~
Connect with Patricia:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patrussellsings/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patrussellonline
Twitter: https://twitter.com/patrussellsings
Email: patrussellsings@gmail.com

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Grace

Why is Grace So Hard?
A devotional by Allison M. Wilson

Key Scripture: 

Ephesians 2:8, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 6:23 (NASB) 

Maybe I’m the only one who struggles with this, but I’ve been really thinking about grace a lot. There are different facets to it. We have the grace God has granted us for the sins which would have led to our death. (Ephesians 2:8) We have grace in how we treat others. The apostle Paul is known for starting or ending his letters with, “Grace and peace to you.” There’s also grace in our demeanor. I think of that as having the Holy Spirit going before me, out to others. We talk about women who are graceful, or have grace in the way they walk or comport themselves. It’s not tied to a faith walk, but it’s still noticeable.

The grace I’ve been pondering the most lately, is the grace we are called to give to others. God’s worked on me in this over many years, and lots of areas have seen victory. Several have not, though. There has been change and growth, but I have to tell you that traffic is one of the places I have the least amount of grace in my life. I’m not quite as quick to say, “Come on, people!” as I used to be. That wake-up call came when my special needs daughter of about 5 piped up from the back, repeating the same phrase.

Why can’t I give grace in traffic? Or the grocery store when someone puts their cart in the middle of the aisle while looking at the shelves? The “me monster” of self rears its ugly head in those circumstances, and reminds me that I’ve still got a long way to go to having my flesh fully surrendered to the Spirit.

I’m a rule follower. If there is a sign that says not to touch the wet paint, I do not have the urge to put my fingers all over it. I have many friends who would find that almost irresistible! I suppose I’m the elder son in the prodigal story. (Luke 15:11-32) I do all the right things to expect a reward.

That’s not how grace works, though. Grace was given by God before I sinned even once. He accounted for the grace mankind would need long before He even formed the world. The plan of salvation was set in motion when there wasn’t even one man in the world yet. (Romans 6:23) It is a gift which was given to us freely, when we had no clue we would even need it.

How is my grace manifested? Only when people do or say what I believe they should? Am I only willing to give grace when the circumstances fit my idea of how they should be? Or, am I allowing the Holy Spirit to grow me into someone who looks more like Christ in grace and peace?

What would that look like for me? Well, I probably wouldn’t get so frustrated at the people who block the aisles or don’t use their turn signals. Maybe I would let the Spirit speak in that quiet Voice which says that I don’t know what that other person is struggling with or going through. Perhaps I would pray for them, rather than grumble about them in my mind, even while there’s a smile on my face. I likely won’t type back that comment which is a thinly veiled insult, or pass on that piece of information which no one else really needs to know I was told.

I want to be a graceFULL woman of God. I want others to see His love and peace and grace flowing through me, even in traffic. Thankfully, that’s what He wants for me, too. I’m so grateful for the grace He gives which doesn’t rely on my behavior!

Let’s pray: Heavenly Daddy, You give more abundantly than we can even fathom, and Your grace is an amazingly boundless gift. Teach me to give grace as You do. Show me more of how You’ve given it to me, and make my heart sing with gratitude so I can lavish that grace on others. In Your precious Son’s Name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

A very early reader and lover of the written word, Allison M. Wilson has been writing since the age of 8 with the heart to impart stories and God's truth.

She has judged countless contests for the last 25 years, reviewed for several online publications, professionally edited, and written articles and devotionals.

Wife, mother, writer, editor, teacher, mentor, and mompreneur, God keeps her busy while living in east central Florida with her family.

~*~
Connect with Allison:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonmwilson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amwilson

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we need to love difficult people

Loving difficult people
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

They’re everywhere, aren’t they? That critical coworker always on your case. That backstabbing neighbor who pretends to be your friend yet gossips behind your back. That passive-aggressive family member or drama-hungry colleague always stirring up emotional chaos. Even your sweet child or spouse, who also happens to know exactly how to push all your buttons and drive you bonkers.

Whatever label you attach—rude, mean, judgmental, antagonistic, snide, or just plain annoying—“difficult” people aren’t always easy to love. Maybe they’ve always been difficult, but you’re forced to interact with them because you are closely connected, such as a relative. Or maybe they’re normally just fine, but they’re going through a rough patch, such as a breakup, death, mental health crisis, or job loss, and not dealing with it well.

These are the folks whose phone calls send that “oh, no” dread into the pit of your stomach, who you’re tempted to find out have RSVP’d before you accept that party invitation, who you avoid when you see coming so you don’t have to interact with them in the hallway. Sometimes, they have the ability to turn your sunshiny day into a gloom of despair. Sometimes, it’s a nonstop fight.

Over the years, I’ve known a lot of difficult people. Truth be told, sometimes I’ve been that “difficult person,” myself. I’ve had dark phases where I was filled with insecurity, envy, ambition, greed, fury, and wildly unrealistic expectations. I didn’t even like my own company very much, and I imagine others didn’t either.

As a Christian, how do we deal with “difficult people”? Jesus commands us to “love thy neighbor” (Matthew 22:36-40), but does that mean we have to like them, too?

The short answer: Yes.

Here’s the thing—difficult people are nothing new. We’ve grumbled, complained, lusted, lied, thieved, and envied our way through relationships since the days of Adam and Eve. People can be wonderful, loyal, loving, and supportive companions, but we can also be real jerks to each other—even (and sometimes especially) to those we love. Now, if that difficult person in your life is abusive in some way, that is different. Abuse is illegal, dangerous, and by no means permissible or explainable.

But for those “regular” difficult types, I offer two key things that can help you as a Christian love—and even like, or perhaps just tolerate—that person better.

The first is looking within. Are their behaviors a little too “close to home”? Many times, I feel an aversion to someone who reminds me of myself in some way—and particularly of things I don’t like about myself and strive to push past. Maybe you have far more in common with that “annoying coworker” than you think you do. Maybe she’s just an earlier version of you, and you could help her evolve just like someone else helped you.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye’” (Matthew 7:3-5 NIV).

Think about it. Pray about it.

The second is grace. Other than Jesus, I’ve never met a single perfect person—myself included. God made every one of us, and He loves every one of us in spite of this. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the debt of our sins so we could have eternal life, and He did this not because of anything we accomplished, but because of the vast and inexplicable love He has for us. We are to model that, too, as best as possible, including when that is not easy. That’s called grace.

As the apostle Paul wrote to the early church in Colossae, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14 NIV).

Remember: Love is quite often a choice, not an emotion. It’s deciding to accept a person, flaws and all, and walk beside them. It’s choosing to care for them as much as or even more than you care for yourself.

Choose to love. Choose grace. Choose compassion.

And live in the full freedom of Christ.

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

You can also connect with her on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.

Devotionals for the Heart: Thoughts on caring for people a bit "too much"

Caring Too Much
A devotional by Amy Odland

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:27-28, 36 (NIV)

“You care too much.”

Have you ever had this said to you? Or maybe you’ve said it to someone? Is it even possible to, as a Christian, “care too much?”

In John 15:12-13 (NIV), Jesus says “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” When you think about him saying that to his twelve disciples, including Judas who would eventually betray him, you can get a better picture of what he meant in Luke 6 when he also said “love your enemies.”

According to BibleHub.com, the Greek word of enemies is echthros, which means “someone openly hostile, animated by deep-seated hatred, implies irreconcilable hostility, proceeding out of a “personal” hatred bent on inflicting harm.”

Do you have an enemy right now, someone you have deep-seated, irreconcilable hostility towards? Maybe it’s against someone who treated you unfairly or did or said hurtful things to you or a loved one. Maybe you are someone else’s enemy because of something you’ve done or said to them.

As Christians, we’re supposed to be loving and forgiving, but we don’t always do a very good job of that. We hold grudges, have angry outbursts, daydream about revenge, and want to see justice prevail quickly. I don’t know of many people, myself included, who look for ways to “lay down their life” for their enemies. But if we only love those who love us, what sets us apart from those who aren’t Christians, those who do the same kinds of acts of kindness we do? (Luke 6:32-33) 

Some of my unbelieving friends are just as kind and generous as my believing friends; the thing that sets those of us in Christ apart from the rest of the world is how we treat those who mistreat us. We become a living, breathing example of the Gospel message when we care for our enemies, which to some people, may look like “caring too much.”

Loving our enemies is only possible because of the Holy Spirit, the Helper who Jesus Christ mentions in John 14 and John 15. We love because he first loved us, because while we were still enemies of God, He sent His son to die for us. (Romans 5:10) Danielle Bernock explained it this way in one of her Christianity.com posts:

“Jesus brought up the issue of mercy repeatedly. Everyone wants mercy. The Bible tells us that mercy triumphs over judgment. Of course we want it. Giving mercy requires us to give up revenge and hand the judgment part to God. Loving our enemies doesn’t mean to allow them to continue to hurt us. That would be a failure of loving ourselves as God loves us. We can do what is in our control to protect ourselves while trusting God to step in. Loving our enemies means to see them as human beings in need of the Father’s love.”

Imagine loving your enemies in such a way you were able to say to a group of people who knew you best: “Love your enemy as I have; I’ve given you an example of how I loved mine.” Jesus Christ, in a sense, said this and then later died on the cross...even for Judas and the Pharisees. He cared about people to the point of death.

When we say to one of our brothers and sisters in Christ that they “care too much,” I wonder if we are actually meaning something else. I don’t think it’s possible, as a Christian, to “care too much” about people.

Let’s Pray: Lord, please help us care for others as you want us to. Help us love our enemies as you would love them. Give us wisdom to be able to discern when it’s time to turn the other cheek and when it’s time to “shake the dust from our sandals” and move on. Give us compassion for everyone created in your image. In Jesus’s Name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Amy Odland has been serving in church ministry as a volunteer leader for over 16 years, in various worship, prayer and women’s ministry roles.

Her passion for helping women stems from her own struggles and lessons learned in her journey as a Christian since first deciding to follow the Lord in 1994. 

Amy’s priorities after her faith include her family — husband Rick, and their four kids — as well as extended family who all live close in proximity and the many friends she’s made over the years.

In addition to a love of teaching and helping her husband with the bookkeeping for their many businesses, Amy has recently expanded her stay-at-home work to include leading author’s book launch teams for publishing companies like Baker, Revell, Barbour, and Lifeway.

She also enjoys teaching new authors about platform building, self-launching, and online marketing.

~*~
Connect with Amy:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/amyodland
Instagram: https://instagram.com/amy_odland
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_odland
Website: https://amyodland.com

Devotionals for the Heart: Loving like Jesus Christ would want you to love

Loving my friends the Jesus way
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

When I was a girl, I thought being a good friend meant being really nice or complimentary to someone, or making them feel better about themselves. That meant if my friend wore a color shirt that looked awful on her, but I knew she’d plunked down a lot of money for it, I’d insist she looked great. Or if she said something rotten to her boyfriend, I’d be supportive and tell her she was in the right, even if I thought she’d been out of line.

As the years passed and my faith strengthened, I started thinking about the Golden Rule when it came to my friendships—that is, heeding Jesus’s command in Matthew 7:12 (NIV) to “do to others what you would have them do to you.” I wouldn’t want my friend telling me a shirt looked great on me if it didn’t, so I started responding with much more honesty, the sort of thing I’d want to hear, such as, “You are gorgeous, but that color isn’t your best. Return it for the red one.” Or, in the case of the boyfriend, I might tell her she was right but that her words were harsh, and advise her to apologize.

But going so far as to offer real, bitter-truth honesty? That was far too frightening. 

I’d pick the safe path rather than risk a fight … and possibly losing our friendship. When a friend did something immoral, I would ignore it and blindly hope they’d get back on track, thinking preserving our relationship was the priority. Perhaps if I’d been a better friend and helped them see the error of their path, helped steer them back to God, their life would have taken a better course—even if it meant the end of our friendship. No, I was too worried about maintaining the way things were, too worried about offending them, too worried to take a chance. What I thought was mannerly was actually cowardice, for when it comes to true friends, they’re worth the risk.

That’s the thing about loving people—it’s always at the risk of self. Loving others means helping them win, which means we might lose. It means encouraging them to be their best selves, which might involve hurting their feelings … or my own. It means being real, taking risks, loving hard, and loving right.

Today, I’m a woman who tries my hardest to follow Christ and live my life for Him, and that comes to friendships, too. I realize I have an obligation to be far more than a companion to those in my inner circle. I need to love them as Jesus would love them. That means sticking by their side when they are facing darkness, illness, or ruin and offering them help, even it if puts me in jeopardy.

It also means pointing them in the right direction—toward the Jesus path.

Jesus is filled with kindness and compassion, of course. He loved us so much He was willing to take the form of a lowly, poverty-stricken human, suffer and die a torturous death on our account, all so He could show us the way to God. But he didn’t do it by ignoring misbehavior and making us feel better about ourselves. He loved us and, all the while, pointed us to God. He urged us to leave sin behind and repent, to live in a new way.

The woman caught in adultery about to be stoned by a crowd of men for her sins, from John 8? Jesus came to her rescue, but He didn’t say, “that’s that; now go on your merry way” to make her feel better. He said, “Go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NIV).

As Christians, we are called to love each other as Christ would—all in, holding nothing back, and always pointing to the Lord. That’s the kind of friend I need. How about you?

~*~
Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden.

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: A Challenge to love people even when it's not easy

Loving When It’s Hard
A devotional by Victoria Bylin

“Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 

– 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB)

I work part-time as a receptionist in a large behavioral health practice. 

Every day, I come face-to-face with people in the throes of clinical anxiety, the pain of depression, and a myriad of other thought patterns that cause difficulty and mental suffering. This isn’t an easy place to work, but I wouldn’t trade a minute of the experience. 

I’ve learned a lot here, particularly what it means to be “Jesus with skin on.”

I’m so far from that goal that’s it’s embarrassing, but my word for this year (2019) is "Love."

We use the word "love" so freely and so often that it threatens to become meaningless. We love lasagna and we love our kids. We love our family and friends, but it’s not nearly as easy to love people who aren’t easy to be around. How about the older person fumbling with their phone while trying to add an appointment to the calendar that is somehow locked on the wrong year? That would be me!

Or what about the mother whose worry for her child comes out in misplaced anger? It can be hard to take, but what’s really happening? When her child is suffering, the mother bear in her comes out, and sometimes the claws are sharp.

When I leave work, my frustration is sometimes sky high, a reminder of just how human I am. I’m so grateful for God’s forgiveness for my own failings. We’ve all fallen short—all been that demanding person—and it’s that awareness that reminds of how great God’s love is for us.

I’m not advocating being a doormat. Loving difficult people doesn’t mean we let them run rough shod over the circumstances. Sometimes love demands firmness and even fierceness. The person who takes cuts in the line still needs to wait. But we can all be kind while we live, work and care for others.

Here’s the bottom line: We don’t know what that difficult person is experiencing. That lesson was driven home to me when I worked in a dermatology office. A woman came in with her teenage daughter for a new patient appointment. It was prom season, and the daughter’s acne was flaring badly. It was a busy practice, and they had waited several weeks for that slot.

Mom charged through the waiting room with her phone pressed to her ear, tapped on the glass window, then opened it. In short, she broke every rule of doctor’s office etiquette, and I was judging her left and right. Forcing a smile, I did my job.

As she fumbled with her insurance card, this is what she said into her phone: “Yes, I heard you. Tell mom I’ll be there as soon as I can. The ICU on the second floor. Yes . . . Yes . . . Tell dad I love him.” Her voice cracked, and so did my heart.

We don’t know what others are dealing with. We can’t see below the surface. But God knows, and he loves us. It’s a privilege to extend that love as best as I can.

~*~
Author Bio:

Victoria Bylin is the author of 18 traditionally published romances. Known for tackling difficult subjects with great compassion, she delights in stories that shine the spotlight of God’s love on ordinary men and women facing realistic challenges. 

Writing has always been a part of Victoria’s life. As a child, she wrote hundreds of letters and scribbled in journals. As an adult, she worked as a freelance journalist and editor before taking on the challenge of fiction.

She had one goal when she started her first novel: to finish a book-length manuscript, good or bad. That first effort will never see the light of day, but it led to a second manuscript and a sale to Harlequin Historical. Since then, she has written westerns and contemporary romances for both mainstream and Christian publishers, with Together With You winning the 2016 Inspirational Readers Choice Award for Best Contemporary.

Writing is a joy and a challenge for Victoria, but faith, friends and family matter to her far more. She’s a wife, mom, proud grandmother, and a dog-mom to a wacky Jack Russell Terrier. Originally from California, she and her husband currently make their home in Lexington, Kentucky. When she’s not writing, Victoria enjoys long walks, travel, and dark chocolate.

~*~
Connect with Victoria:
Website: https://www.victoriabylin.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Victoria.Bylin.Author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VictoriaBylin
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/victoria-bylin
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/568102.Victoria_Bylin

Devotionals for the Heart: Why we must love all of our neighbors

Love Your Neighbor
A devotional by Christa MacDonald

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” 
– Romans 13:8-10 (NIV)

I went back to Romans today as it’s one of my favorite books in the Bible and I wanted to read something uplifting. It can truly be a struggle to remain informed about what’s going on in the world around me but also stay in the right frame of mind. I’m not in charge of the world – God is – but there are times that I want to take charge and put things in order. As I am not president, or queen, or empress of anything, there’s not a lot I can do so I struggle to not become dismayed.

The Bible gives us the winning strategy. In Romans 12:21 (NIV) we’re told, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

How can we do that? The world is pretty evil, and we’re only human. The verse above gives us the answer, “…love your neighbor as yourself.” Every person we interact with in our lives is our neighbor. Your coworkers, your bank teller, your mechanic, the post office clerk who isn’t that nice, your children’s teachers…

You may be thinking, That’s impossible. Those people aren’t really my neighbor, I doubt that’s what this means. But remember how Jesus answered when asked “Who is my neighbor?” in Luke 10:29? He told the story of the Good Samaritan and then he told the man to “Go, and do likewise.” God has commanded us to love, and so we need to be careful about putting limits on whom we are willing to love.

What does loving someone as yourself look like? The verse above has an answer for us too – love does no harm. That might seem pretty simplistic. If you're taking the time out of your busy life to read this then I highly doubt that you're the type of person who would be looking for ways to intentionally hurt people, but remember the parable of the Good Samaritan. The standard is higher. When we see a need we must respond. Our love needs to be an active one.

God has called us to live counter to our culture’s selfishness. Prayerfully consider in what ways you could love the neighbors in your life.

Consider this: How is God calling you to serve and love the people that He has placed in your life? Figure it out and then get out there and love somebody!

~*~
Author Bio:

Christa MacDonald is a 2017 ACFW Carol Award finalist for contemporary Christian fiction.

A native New Englander, she was inspired by her travels through the north woods of Maine to write The Broken Trail, which would become the first in the Sweet River Redemption series published by Mountain Brook Ink.

Christa's writing focuses on the real-life challenges of the modern world, love’s sometimes crooked path, and the redemptive power of Grace.

When not working or writing Christa can be found ferrying her kids around, reading, or attempting something crafty.

She and her husband live with their three kids, two cats, and one dog along the coast of New England. Connect with Christa at www.christamacdonald.com.

Devotionals for the Heart: Kindness

Kindness is only from the Lord
A devotional by Allison M. Wilson

Key Scripture: Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB) and 1 John 4:15-21 (NASB)

We’ve looked at the first four Fruit of the Spirit to see that it is not a random list of attributes. There is a distinct order to the fruit that are listed. Once the love of God is shown and accepted there is joy inexpressible, which leads to peace with knowing the Father is in total control of everything, then we can be patient with the timing of the outcome. Kindness, however, is a direct outflow of ALL of these other fruit.

We are loved because He first loved us. If you read the whole passage where this verse is found, you realize that love starts everything. Love casts out fear. What an amazingly powerful thing! Love is what kindness is rooted in, because you have to have a love of God to even be kind at all.

We cannot hate our brother or sister and still love God. Hate has no place in the heart surrendered to Him. I’ve watched so many believers tear each other apart, and been brokenhearted at what the Father must feel to see His children acting that way towards one another. Someone from another denomination may be the joke or the brunt of a sarcastic comment. That is not the kindness the Holy Spirit wishes to give through us to other believers, let alone a dying world.

I have had people lie to me, talk slanderously about me, and even curse me to my face. Earlier in my life, I likely would have gotten right back in their face and given them something to think about. Now? Now I let the Father tell me what I should say…most of the time…okay, maybe some of the time.

Our fruit is not just for ourselves. In fact, I would dare to say it’s not for us at all! It is to be shown to hurting people God puts into our paths, whether they are blood brothers/sisters in Christ or not. We, as the church, look so much like the world. We treat others with disrespect when we feel disrespected. We “don’t deserve to be treated that way,” and then demand better treatment. There are times to speak up – that is true – but how many times has the Lord told you to do so versus your flesh? How kind were you in the moment when you spoke up?

I’m a pretty direct person. I say what I mean and mean what I say. My husband likes to tell people that everyone knows where they stand with me, and I don’t see that as a bad thing. Only because I allow the kindness of God to be what speaks first. Not all the time, like I wish I would, but I’m hoping it’s more times than not. There is no doubt where I stand on things. I have my beliefs. I can tell you why I believe them according to the Word of God. I don’t apologize for those beliefs. However, I don’t treat others badly if they don’t agree. Anger and contempt never won anyone to another’s side of an issue. How can I expect someone to want to know Christ if malice and hatred are what I give them?

I’ve heard it said that kindness is free. No, it’s not. Kindness still requires a dying to self. It’s easy to be kind when others are doing the same. It is Godly to be kind when they are not kind to you. That fruit has to be something the Spirit does in you. We are not kind by human nature…not one of us. Thank God that He is not done with us, yet!

My Prayer: Dear God (Heavenly Daddy), My human side wants to be respected. I want to have others treat me well. They don’t always do that, but You call me to something greater still. You call me to be kind, as Your Son was kind, even as they tried Him, flogged Him, and crucified Him. He spoke no unkind words through it all. Make me more like Him. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

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Author Bio:
A very early reader and lover of the written word, Allison M. Wilson has been writing since the age of 8 with the heart to impart stories and God's truth. 

She has judged countless contests for the last 25 years, reviewed for several online publications, professionally edited, and written articles and devotionals.

Wife, mother, writer, editor, teacher, mentor, and mompreneur, God keeps her busy while living in east central Florida with her family.

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Connect with Allison:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonmwilson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amwilson

Devotionals for the Heart: A harvest

Harvest of Righteousness
A devotional by Tammy Karasek

When I hear the word harvest, I immediately think of gathering something. Most assuredly, I see the farmers gathering up the fruits of their labor that are now ripe. Right now, near where I used to live in Ohio, farmers have been gathering their grain to store up for the winter to come.

When I read the following scripture, I had to stop and re-read it. It wasn’t saying what my normal thought of what a harvest would be. 

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” 

~James 3:18 (ESV)

A harvest of righteousness. This expression made me pause, wanting to understand it more clearly. I dug further, looking up the various definitions of both harvest and righteous and found this:

Harvest – to gain, win, acquire, or use; the result of an act.

Righteous – acting in an upright, moral way, virtuous.

Now as I read the Scripture (James 3:18), it meant something different. If I changed the wording a little (not changing the meaning), it taught me that we have a responsibility of harvesting righteousness. 

Hear me out … A harvest (or gain, acquiring) of righteousness (by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way) is sown in peace by those who make peace. 

This got me thinking about how we treat others. Do we act righteously? Do we try to make peace? Or are we quick to critique others, or even attack them for their differences? As we head into this holiday season, the hustle and bustle of this time of year can sometimes raise our stress levels. We can become impatient, critical or snarky . . . anyone relate?

If we want others to treat us well, we need to do the same. When we do our best to make peace, I believe more peace will be seen in our surroundings. In other words, if you want more peace, you can gather or harvest it by sowing peace to those you have an opportunity to be with.

Might I suggest that as we head into this wonderful time of the year, we all strive to be harvesters of righteousness? That we make (and keep) peace with those we encounter by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way each day. And yes, even with that cranky aunt you might get stuck sitting by at the Thanksgiving table this year!

Will you set out to be a harvester of righteousness with me?

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Author Bio:

You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and give them The Reason to smile.

She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 37 years, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little dog named Hattie. Born and raised in Ohio, her family now resides in South Carolina.

She is the President of Word Weavers Upstate SC, member of ACFW and member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy.

She’s the Blog Coordinator/Editor for Florida Christian Writers Conference, a contributor in the 2018 Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments, a monthly contributor for HeartWingsblog.com and God is Love (capturingtheidea.blogspot.com).

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Connect with Tammy:
Blog: http://www.tammykarasek.com
Email: tickledpinktammy@gmail.com