What Jesus Did! for 04/06

"Generous to a Fault" — 

[Jesus said,] "Give to anyone who asks; and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back." — Luke 6:30

Key Thought:

Our stuff often owns us. We can even get more attached to our stuff than to the people in our lives. When our things are taken from us, we can be more concerned about the things than we are about the heart of the person who took those things. God wants us to be generous with others, just as he is generous with us. God poured out his grace so lavishly. Do some people abuse that grace? Absolutely! Is God sorry he offered us his grace? Absolutely not! Some people will abuse us financially or take advantage of us in a "deal." Rather than destroying the reputation of the church and bringing ruin on ourselves through bitterness, we need to forgive and let go of what anchors us to the world.

Today's Prayer:

O Father, give me open hands and an open heart to deal generously with those around me. Please help me from becoming bitter toward those who take advantage of me. Help me control my desire for "my justice," and help me seek after your grace, mercy, and generosity. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Becoming

Today’s Reflection

WHEN REGRET begins to rise in me over a harsh word or a sharp tone I’ve used with my children, I remind myself to honor those hard moments as part of the becoming. God calls me into being—continues to create me—through them. I can let go of control, of trying to figure out who I am or what I am meant to do, and trust that in time God will reveal to me the fullness of who I’m being created to be.

—Lauren Burdette
This Life That Is Ours: Motherhood As Spiritual Practice

Light Penetrates Darkness

Today’s Reflection

DARKNESS resides around and within us. We experience different kinds of darkness: the darkness of intense pain and suffering, the darkness of loneliness and grief, the darkness of evil and sin, and most especially the darkness of death itself. Being overwhelmed by darkness can cause difficulty, confusion, and pain.
Christ enters the darkness of our world as the light. His life both echoes and fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (9:2). Right up to the present moment, the radiant light of Christ continues to shine among us.
When we follow Christ, his light penetrates our darkness. It illuminates our lives with his direction, delivers us from dark powers, and empowers us to live fuller and freer lives. Indeed, we become children of light in a darkened world!

—Trevor Hudson
Pauses for Lent: 40 Words for 40 Days