“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Eph. 4:32
Heavenly Father, whether we make it a memory verse, coffee mug wrap, dominant wrist tattoo, email-ending Scripture, or a laminated card to keep close and give out, Ephesians 4:32 summarizes your great love for us, and how we are to live and love all the way Home.
Your tenderheartedness and kindness towards us aren’t a mood we catch you in at the right time. They’re not exhaustible, measurable or based on anything in us. Hallelujah! Free us to love others as you love us in Jesus, period—no qualifiers, fine print—if’s, and’s, or but’s. When we live humble, gentle, and get serious about practicing Jesus’ art of love, it’s a bouquet of grace, a banquet of beauty, Gospel aroma-therapy for onlookers—the kind of worship service in which angels dance and the Trinity rejoices.
Abba, we greatly look forward to the Day when it will be impossible for us to sin and only possible for us to love with our thinking, speaking and relating to each other (1 John 3:1-3). Until that Day, grant us convictable spirits and quicker repentances. You call us to be tender-hearted—not hard-hearted, pig-headed, and angry-fisted.
When we step into the rawness of somebody’s difficult day, their old wounds, current triggers, or sleepless nights—give us your patience, forbearance, and understanding. Give us longer fuses and deeper grace-reserves when we collide with each other’s brokenness and lack of glorification.
Abba make our “in-Christ-ness” and belovedness the most defining and transforming realities in our lives. Make our Gospel-recall 10,000 better than our “you-hurt-me” recall. So Very Amen.
