Wednesday Devotion

Wednesday: Relationship Trouble
by Jarod Anderson

“Love is patient, Love is kind…”
How are your relationships? Yesterday, we talked about our relationship with God, and what He did to bring us to Him. Today, it’s all about our relationships with each other. So I’ll ask again: How are your relationships? with your parents? with your brothers and sisters? with your friends? with the kids at school or church that you wouldn’t classify as “friends”? If your relationships with the people around you aren’t always smooth and friendly, join the club. We all have people that we clash with; how can we make it better even if we’re not the ones at fault?

Read James 1:19
Are you a patient person or do you have a quick temper?

Read Luke 6:31, The Golden Rule
Now read verses 32-36. We’re called to be kind and merciful to people whether we like them or not; whether they are kind to us or not. The world says to stand up to people who treat us badly; Jesus tells us to love even when we’re hated.

Think about the relationships in your life that you wish were different. Do you love these people unconditionally? Are you patient and willing to forgive, even repeatedly if necessary? Are you kind in the way you act toward them, in the way you speak to them? When they are impatient and unkind with you, do you treat them the same way, or do you take the tact that Jesus describes?

Pray for God to help you with the relationships in your life. Ask him to help you to love people, even when they don’t feel the same about you. Ask him to provide patience for those who don’t deserve it. Ask Him to teach you how to show kindness. Pray for the person who you struggle with most. It’s tough to hate someone you pray for on a regular basis.