Thursday Devotion

Thursday: Be Gentle Now
by Jared Altic

Dean Kaman is an inventor. He invented the self-balancing Segway scooter in 2001 and this year he’s invented something else just as amazing. It's a prosthetic arm that weighs the same as a human arm, has the same range of motion and some of the same sensitivities too. When the government asked him to build it, he wasn’t even sure it could be done but now amputees are testing this amazing computerized arm that can shake hands, bring a cup to your lips, or handle something as fragile as an egg.

Perhaps that’s the most amazing part: that this powerful machine can lift a heavy weight one moment but then delicately handle an egg without crushing it the next. The machine is able to exercise self-control and gentleness that is a rare trait in machines.

But sometimes gentleness is a rare trait in people too. Read Titus 3:3 and Romans 1:28-32. People are notoriously bad at handling each other. We cause pain and hurt one another on a regular basis

But when the Spirit comes into our lives, we should begin to produce different traits. We should become the type a person who can be trusted to treat people with love and respect. We should become less selfish and sinful and more Christ-like.

Read 2 Peter 1:5-9.

- How do these Spiritual traits affect how we treat others?
- What do you think it means to “minister” to a person?
- When have you treated others roughly in the past?
- Do hurting people trust you to treat them well?

Take some time to pray now.
- Pray that God would help you to treat people with love.
- Pray for opportunities to minister to others who need help.