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This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of Building Together: “Let the Light get in!”  (WATCH HERE)

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Ephesians 5:3–5; 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 

 

Darkness can make it difficult to see things clearly.

Have you ever walked through a dark room and mistaken one thing for another? A pile of clothes can look like a person. A shadow can look like an object. Without enough light, we can easily believe we are seeing something that isn’t really there.

Sin works much the same way.

God created many things that are good. He created marriage, sexuality, possessions, food, work, relationships, and pleasure. These are gifts from His gracious hand. But sin takes God’s good gifts and distorts them. It takes what God designed for our good and turns it toward ourselves.

That is what Paul is addressing in Ephesians 5. He warns God’s people about sexual immorality, impurity, greed, and even careless speech. These sins are not simply a list of bad behaviors. They reveal what happens when our hearts become focused on getting what we want instead of trusting what God has given.

Greed says, “I need more.”

Lust says, “I need this to satisfy me.”

Selfishness says, “I deserve to have things my way.”

Sin turns our eyes away from the Giver and toward the gift.

Psalm 51 reminds us why this happens. David confesses, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Sin is not merely something we occasionally do. It is a condition of our fallen hearts. Left to ourselves, we naturally turn away from God and toward ourselves.

That is why we need more than better behavior. We need a Savior.

Jesus came into our darkness. He took our sin upon Himself and carried it to the cross. The One who knew no sin became sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:2).

The light of God’s Word exposes our sin, but it does not expose us so that God can shame us. It exposes us so that He can lead us to repentance and forgiveness in Christ.

So when God’s Word reveals something in your life that needs to change, don’t hide from the light. Bring it into the light. Confess it. Trust the promise of Christ. Your sin is not too ugly for His grace.

Today, ask God to help you recognize where sin may be distorting something good in your life. Perhaps it is your use of money, your relationships, your sexuality, your desire for comfort, or your need to have things your way. Let God’s Word show you the truth, and then let the Gospel remind you that there is forgiveness in Jesus.

Christ does not leave us in the darkness.

He brings us into His light.

Reflect: What good gift from God are you most tempted to distort or use selfishly?  How does knowing that Christ forgives your sin change the way you respond when God’s Word exposes something in your life?

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, I confess that sin has distorted my heart and caused me to use Your good gifts selfishly. Forgive me for the times I have trusted Your gifts more than I have trusted You. Thank You for sending Jesus to carry my sin to the cross and to give me His righteousness. Help me welcome the light of Your Word, even when it exposes things I would rather hide. Lead me to repentance and strengthen my faith in Your forgiveness. Help me use Your good gifts in ways that honor You and bless others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Building Together: “Together is Tough!”  (WATCH HERE)

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John 13:35 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

What do people see when they look at Christians?

They may see people gathering for worship. They may see Bibles, crosses, church buildings, and Christian symbols. They may hear us talk about Jesus. They may even know what we believe.

But Jesus says there is something else they should see.

They should see His love.

On the night before Jesus died, He told His disciples, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” Then He added something remarkable: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus connects our love for one another with our witness to the world.

That does not mean our love saves people. Jesus saves. Our good works do not earn forgiveness. Christ earned our forgiveness through His perfect life, innocent death, and victorious resurrection. Our love is not the Gospel itself, but it can point people toward the Savior who is.

Think about a stained glass window in a church. The window is not the light. The light comes from outside. But when the light shines through the glass, people can see something beautiful.

Our lives can be like that.

Christ is the source. His love shines into our hearts through His Word and Sacraments. His grace changes us. Then that love can shine through the way we treat people.

A neighbor may never read Ephesians 5, but they can see what happens when a Christian forgives. A coworker may never understand the doctrine of justification, but they can notice when a Christian responds to an insult with patience instead of anger. A friend may not know what Christians believe about grace, but they can experience grace when we serve them without expecting anything in return.

Sometimes the most powerful witness is simply loving someone when it would be easier not to.

That does not mean we will always get it right. We won’t. Christians still sin. We still become impatient. We still say things we regret. We still have difficult relationships.

But even there, the Gospel gives us another opportunity to point to Christ. We can admit when we are wrong. We can ask for forgiveness. We can forgive. We can begin again.

That is what grace looks like.

This week we have been reminded that we are dearly loved children of God. We have learned to see others differently because they are people Christ died for. We have considered what it means to love like Christ, even when together is tough.

Now we are reminded why it matters.

Our love can point people to Jesus.

So look around you today. Who needs to experience the love of Christ through you? Maybe it is a family member who needs patience. Maybe it is a coworker who needs encouragement. Maybe it is someone who has hurt you and needs forgiveness. Maybe it is a neighbor who simply needs someone to notice them.

Love them.

Not to earn God’s love.

Love them because you already have it.

And when people see that love, may they see something more than us. May they see Christ.

Reflect: What might the people around you learn about Jesus by watching the way you treat them? Who is one person you can intentionally love like Christ this week?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me and giving Yourself for me. Thank You for making me Your child and covering me with Your grace. Help me live in such a way that others can see Your love through me. Give me opportunities to forgive, serve, encourage, listen, and show compassion. When I fail, lead me back to Your forgiveness and help me begin again. Use my life, imperfect as it is, to point others toward the perfect love You have shown us at the cross. May my words and actions give others a glimpse of You. In Your name I pray. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Building Together: “Together is Tough!”  (WATCH HERE)

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Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

It is easy to talk about loving one another when everyone gets along. Love sounds wonderful when relationships are going well. But what happens when someone hurts you? What happens when someone disappoints you, misunderstands you, ignores you, or simply gets under your skin?

That is when loving together becomes tough.

The church is made up of people who have been forgiven, but we are still sinners. That means we will sometimes hurt one another. We will say the wrong thing. We will make assumptions. We will hold grudges. We will become impatient. Sometimes we will be the difficult person in someone else’s life.

Paul knew this. That is why his words in Colossians 3 are so practical. He tells Christians to “clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Then he says, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.”

“Bear with each other” is not something we usually put on a greeting card. But it is a wonderfully realistic description of Christian life together.

Sometimes loving someone means bearing with them.

Sometimes it means being patient with a weakness that isn’t going away quickly. Sometimes it means overlooking an irritation that doesn’t really matter. Sometimes it means having a difficult conversation. Sometimes it means forgiving an offense that genuinely hurt.

And sometimes it means remembering how much we have been forgiven.

Paul gives us the reason for our forgiveness: “Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

The Christian does not forgive because the offense was insignificant. We forgive because Christ’s grace is greater than our sin.

Jesus did not wait for us to apologize before He loved us. He did not wait until we became worthy before He gave Himself for us. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” Romans 5:8.

That is the grace we have received.

And that is the grace we are called to extend.

Today, when someone tests your patience, remember the phrase that has been running through this week:

Together is tough. Christ’s love is enough.

When forgiveness is tough, Christ’s love is enough. When patience is tough, Christ’s love is enough. When serving is tough, Christ’s love is enough.

You don’t have to manufacture that love on your own. You have received it from Christ. Ask Him to help you give away what He has already given you.

Reflect: Is there someone you need to forgive, bear with, or approach with greater patience? How does remembering Christ’s forgiveness toward you help you extend forgiveness and grace to others?

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the forgiveness You have given me through Jesus. I confess that I am often quick to notice the faults of others and slow to recognize my own. When relationships become difficult, give me patience, humility, compassion, and courage. Help me forgive as You have forgiven me. Keep me from holding onto bitterness, and help me remember that Christ’s love is greater than every offense. Teach me to love others with the grace I have received from You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Building Together: “Together is Tough!”  (WATCH HERE)

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John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Jesus does not leave us guessing about what Christian love looks like. He gives us a model. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

The standard is not how kindly someone treats us. It is not how much we have in common. It is not whether someone has earned our respect or deserves our patience. The standard is Christ.

That can be a difficult command.

It is easy to love people who love us. It is easy to be patient with someone who is patient with us. It is easy to serve someone who appreciates what we do. But Jesus calls us to something deeper. He calls us to love as He has loved us.

Think about the disciples gathered around Jesus on the night before His crucifixion. They had spent years with Him, yet they still argued about who was the greatest. They misunderstood Him. They were slow to believe. They would soon abandon Him. One would betray Him. Another would deny Him.

And Jesus loved them.

He knew exactly who they were, yet He did not walk away.

That same night, Jesus washed their feet.

The One who had every right to be served became the servant. The One who knew He was about to suffer gave Himself for people who did not yet understand what He was doing. His love was not based on what they could give Him. His love flowed from who He is.

That is the love Paul points us toward in Ephesians 5:2: “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”

Notice the order. Christ loved us first. Then we are called to love.

This is important because Christianity is not about trying harder to make God love us. The Gospel tells us that God has already loved us in Christ. Jesus has already given Himself for our sins. We are already forgiven. We are already God’s dearly loved children.

Our love for others is a response to the love we have received.

So what might that look like today?

It might mean listening when you would rather speak. It might mean forgiving when you would rather hold onto the offense. It might mean serving when nobody notices. It might mean encouraging someone who is struggling. It might mean speaking a difficult truth with gentleness. It might mean putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own.

None of these things earn God’s favor. Christ has already secured that for us.

Instead, they are opportunities to let the love of Christ take shape in our lives.

Together is tough because people are not easy.

But Christ has loved us.

And because He has loved us, we can love one another.

Reflect: Where is Christ inviting you to show sacrificial love to someone today? How does remembering that Christ has already loved and forgiven you change the way you love others?

Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me when I was undeserving of Your love. Thank You for giving Yourself for me and forgiving my sins. Teach me to love as You have loved me. Give me a servant’s heart when I would rather be served, patience when I would rather be frustrated, forgiveness when I would rather hold onto an offense, and compassion when I would rather look away. Let Your love shape my words, my actions, and my relationships so that others may see Your love through me. Amen.

This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Building Together: “Together is Tough!”  (WATCH HERE)

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1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 

It is easy to see people through labels. We notice the person who is difficult. The person who is opinionated. The person who talks too much. The person who never seems to help. The person who hurt us. The person who sees things differently than we do.

We can begin to define people by the thing that bothers us most about them.

But the cross gives us a different way to see people.

Peter reminds us that Christ died “for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous.” That little phrase puts all of us on level ground. There is no category here for the people who need more grace and the people who need less. There are only sinners who need a Savior and a Savior who gave Himself for sinners.

That includes you. And it includes the person who is difficult for you.

Galatians 3:26 says, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Paul goes on to remind us that those who have been baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. Our identity is not ultimately determined by our personality, our background, our accomplishments, our failures, or our differences. Our deepest identity is found in Christ.

Think about a family gathered around a dinner table. Every person at the table may be different. One may be quiet. Another may be loud. One may be organized. Another may be spontaneous. One may have strong opinions. Another may avoid conflict. They may disagree about plenty of things, but they are still family.

The same is true of God’s family.

The church is not a gathering of people who naturally fit together. It is a gathering of sinners who have been brought together by Jesus. Christ did not die only for the people who are easy to love. He died for difficult people too. He died for people who disappoint us. He died for people who disagree with us. He died for people who sometimes get on our nerves.

And He died for us when we were difficult too.

That changes how we look at one another.

The next time someone frustrates you, try seeing them through the cross. Before you see their irritating habit, see a person Christ loved. Before you see their mistake, see someone for whom Jesus shed His blood. Before you decide what they deserve, remember what Christ has given you.

This does not mean pretending that hurtful behavior is acceptable or avoiding necessary conversations. Christian love can speak the truth. But it speaks the truth remembering that the person standing across from us is someone God desires to redeem, restore, and draw closer to Himself.

The people who make life together tough are also people Christ died for.

And so am I.

Reflect: Who is someone you have been tempted to define by their faults or the way they have treated you? How might remembering that Christ died for that person change the way you speak to or think about them?

Prayer:  Dear Jesus, thank You for dying for me, an undeserving sinner. Forgive me for the times I have looked down on others, judged them by their faults, or forgotten that they are people You love. Help me see others through the cross. Give me patience when people frustrate me, courage to speak the truth when it is needed, and compassion to remember that every person needs Your grace just as I do. Help us live together as Your forgiven family. Amen.