Love is Kind | Kristi's Morning Devotional

June 28, 2020June 28, 2020

Getting the Right Picture

Do any of you enjoy taking pictures? I look at great photography as real art. The ability to capture the beauty that is seen with the natural eye through a camera’s lens is a true gift!

We took quite a few pictures when the girls were here and the thing I realized was how quickly we had been in taking some of them. Blurry – delete. Off center – crop. No one was ready – trash. One of the advantages of digital photography is it gives us the ability to capture many images that are similar and then delete the ones we don’t like.

The true photographer is patient; waiting for the right angle, the perfect light and then they bring it all into focus! A masterpiece.

A lot of people take life the same way – hurry up and click. Snap, snap, snap. Delete, trash it, do over. Or they spent their lives taking selfies and never learn to include the beauty of the people around them.

With a Christ-centered focus, we can zoom in on what’s important. Bring the tiniest of details up close and appreciate the intricate design – the design of health, friendship, innocence, honesty, joy, patience, love.

This reminds me of the story Jesus told of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levi were too busy taking selfies to be concerned with the hurting of the man who had been robbed but the Samaritan zoomed in, focused on the situation and saw the beauty of caring for someone other than himself.

“The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the man who worked at the inn. He said, ‘Take care of this hurt man. If you spend more money on him, I will pay it back to you when I come again.’ 36 Then Jesus said, ‘Which one of these three men do you think was really a neighbor to the man who was hurt by the robbers?’ 37 The teacher of the law answered, ‘The one who helped him.’ Jesus said, “Then you go and do the same.” Luke 10:35-37 ERV

It’s important to stay focused. People and situations need to be viewed through the lens of God’s word. The Bible tells us there will be a time when people will call good evil and evil good. We see some of that happening now. Their image is out of focus – it is being processed through a filter of selfishness and disrespect.

We mustn’t allow the world to distort how we view things. Instead we need to post clear images that are focused on God’s love and forgiveness; images that will give hope to the world and not despair.

Lord, improve my focus today. Let me love my neighbor as you have loved me.

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020

Burnt Toast

The discussion around the table late yesterday afternoon was about burnt toast. When I was a young girl I remember my dad saying eating burnt toast would make you a better singer. I believed him; my older brother and sister did not. They saw his real purpose in saying this, he didn’t want the toast going to waste.

I’m not sure how many pieces of burnt toast I have eaten in my life but there have been more than a few. Some as a child and others as an adult.

My mom told a story of a missionary whose family lived on a very meager monthly allotment. She said they never wasted food. When asked what they did about burnt toast she smiled and said I hold it up and simply ask “who wants chocolate toast”.

But the story I like best is the one of a man, who recalling his childhood and his father’s many sacrifices, said that whenever the toast burned his father would tell the family “don’t anyone take my toast, this is the way I like it best and your mother made it special, just for me”. He said his father’s act of love in not embarrassing his mother and not subjecting his children to something as unpleasant as burnt toast was an example of self-sacrifice and kindness that guided his words and actions with his own family.

Burnt toast, spilled coffee, muddy footprints, the last piece of pie say volumes about our character.

Do we value possessions over people?

“God has chosen you. You are holy and loved by Him. Because of this, your new life should be full of loving-pity. You should be kind to others and have no pride. Be gentle and be willing to wait for others. ¹³Try to understand other people. Forgive each other. If you have something against someone, forgive him. That is the way the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:12-13 NLV

Kindness is a gift we can all give. It never goes out of style; one size fits all. Kindness isn’t waiting to receive; it is always willing to give.

I heard of a husband who bragged on his new bride, “My wife thinks I’m a god. She offers me a burnt sacrifice every night”. Eating a piece a burnt toast with a smile on our face and love in our heart can be one of the greatest sermons never preached. Our actions often speak louder than our words.

May we always share the love and kindness we receive from the Lord. In the case of burnt toast, it’s always better with butter and jam.

June 23, 2020June 23, 2020

Love One Another

I had a couple of real tough questions come to mind last night. Do I harbor bitterness? Am I judgmental?

Dave and I discussed the first question and I could honestly say there isn’t a person who came to mind that I am bitter towards. We have been openly criticized and even defamed but if any of those people called or came to my door I would welcome them in with open arms, offer them comfort (a meal, a bed, a shoulder) and love on them.

However, I’m still working on the judgmental part. In fact, I found myself in several different situations in my dreams last night and had to deal with that very thing.

If I had been with Jesus when he was preaching and teaching would I have been accepting of the woman in adultery, would I have been willing to eat dinner with Zacchaeus, would I have even talked to the woman at the well long enough to find out that she needed a friend or a Savior? Would I have chosen Peter with his impetuous character to be one of my closest companions?

Jesus never condemned the sinner, only their sin. Would I or could I do the same?

I’m just being honest with you. Too many times I judge people by their outward appearance or their actions without seeing who Jesus sees. I heard a person sharing on television a few days ago and he made a comment similar to this. “When I looked into the face of Jesus on the cross, saw His suffering and realized it was my sin that put Him there my heart broke. He loved me in spite of all I have done; He loved me enough to forgive me and die in my place. How could I possibly judge others for who they are and what they do when I was guilty? His death paid the price for all our sins”.

This is what the Apostle Paul said: “And the Scriptures were written to teach and encourage us by giving us hope. 5 God is the one who makes us patient and cheerful. I pray that he will help you live at peace with each other, as you follow Christ. 6 Then all of you together will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you. 8 I tell you that Christ came as a servant of the Jews to show that God has kept the promises he made to their famous ancestors. Christ also came, 9 so that the Gentiles would praise God for being kind to them…13 I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope.” Romans 15:4-13 CEV

We are always going to have different opinions over politics, money, education, appearance, lifestyle, doctrines but those differences should never stop us from loving those whom God created.

Now don’t think that I am condoning sin, I’m not. We need to have the same mind as Christ in this. He hated sin so much that He died to pay the price for our atonement. He loved us so much that He willingly went to the cross.

I’m still learning to love without being judgmental. Sin is sin, there’s no getting around that but God is the one who is the righteous judge. We are called to be disciples of Christ and that means we are called to love.

“But I am giving you a new command. You must love each other, just as I have loved you. 35 If you love each other, everyone will know that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 CEV

February 5, 2020February 5, 2020

First Steps

Many of us have had the experience of watching our child take their first steps. What a joy! But let’s remember all the coaxing and encouragement we gave leading up to that momentous occasion.

“You can do it!” ” Look at you – you are such a big girl (big boy)!” “I’ll catch you.”

Words of love, kindness and pride flowing from a patient parent’s heart. No chastising, ridicule or harassment. No! Taking first steps is a big deal and we wrap the step-taker with arms of love and then praise the accomplishment.

But this isn’t a one off experience. It will be repeated again and again with each new surface beneath their feet – tile floors, carpet, sidewalks, grass, wood chips and the ever shifting beach sand.

I remember the first time we took our youngest daughter to the beach. She had just learned to walk and I didn’t think anything about it when we walked out on the sand. As we stood there a small wave washed over our feet and then receded. When it did the sand beneath her toes began to move and shift. The expression on her face was one of perplexity and amazement. She picked up first one foot and then the other. But she kept her balance and we all laughed and clapped for her.

Love is patient, Love is kind!

“Love is kind and patient, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude.” I Corinthians 13:4 CEV

All throughout life we experience many new things:

talking
walking
sleeping through the night
sharing
eating
reading
writing
operating the TV remote
learning a new computer program
driving
surfing
dancing
cooking
sewing
loving
forgiving
understanding
encouraging

And these are just a few of life’s basics, they are some of our “first steps”. As we learn, we all need someone’s encouraging words to keep going, keep trying, don’t give up! If we don’t receive that encouragement anywhere else we will always receive it from our Heavenly Father. He is love incarnate!!

“All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. ¹⁶We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” I John 4:15-16 NLT

He cheers us on each hour of every day. He is patient with us and His words are always kind. If we listen with our hearts we will hear Him encouraging us every step of the way.

Our first steps are important to the Father!