
Written By TWFT
Thursday, September 21
“Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Col 3:12 NLT
The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” In his documentary on twentieth-century wars, Jonathan Glover refers to what he calls “sympathy breakthroughs.” Even in the situation of war, acts of compassion supersede the conflict. Most sympathy breakthroughs, according to Glover, are triggered by eye-to-eye contact, and that eye-to-eye contact displaces hand-to-hand combat. Have you ever had a sympathy breakthrough? If not, pray for one. It’s a moment when your tendency to hate is overcome by your will to love. A moment when proactive compassion overrules negative anger. A moment when you’re concerned more about someone else’s pain than your own. Those are the moments when you discover what it really means to love God with all your heart. It’s much simpler to act like a Christian than to react like one. Anybody can put on an act. But your reactions expose what is really in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, you won’t merely act like it. You will react like it. The apostle Peter puts it this way: “Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (vv. 12–14 NLT).
Thursday, September 21
“Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.” Col 3:12 NLT
The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: “If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.” In his documentary on twentieth-century wars, Jonathan Glover refers to what he calls “sympathy breakthroughs.” Even in the situation of war, acts of compassion supersede the conflict. Most sympathy breakthroughs, according to Glover, are triggered by eye-to-eye contact, and that eye-to-eye contact displaces hand-to-hand combat. Have you ever had a sympathy breakthrough? If not, pray for one. It’s a moment when your tendency to hate is overcome by your will to love. A moment when proactive compassion overrules negative anger. A moment when you’re concerned more about someone else’s pain than your own. Those are the moments when you discover what it really means to love God with all your heart. It’s much simpler to act like a Christian than to react like one. Anybody can put on an act. But your reactions expose what is really in your heart. And if you love God with all your heart, you won’t merely act like it. You will react like it. The apostle Peter puts it this way: “Clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony” (vv. 12–14 NLT).
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January
ENJOY EACH DAY OF THIS NEW YEAR (1)ENJOY EACH DAY OF THIS NEW YEAR (2)THIS YEAR THINK “POSSIBLE” (1)THIS YEAR THINK “POSSIBLE” (2)THIS YEAR THINK “POSSIBLE” (3)LET GOD LEAD YOUGOD IS YOUR PROVIDERYOUR OVERFLOWING CUP OF BLESSINGSTEPS TO OVERCOMING YOUR WORRIESFOCUS ON YOUR GOD-GIVEN VISIONTHE STORY OF YOUR BIBLEHOW GOD LEADS USHOW JESUS DEALT WITH SINARE YOU JOY-DEPRIVEDIT’S TIME TO PRAY (1)IT’S TIME TO PRAY (2)FAITH THAT BRINGS RESULTSBE FAITHFUL TO GOD AT WORKWHEN YOUR BEST ISN’T GOOD ENOUGHTODAY, GIVE YOUR PROBLEM TO GODSTEPS TO FORGIVENESS (1)STEPS TO FORGIVENESS (2)THE JOYS OF HEAVEN (1)THE JOYS OF HEAVEN (2)THE JOYS OF HEAVEN (3)LEARN TO CONTROL YOUR ANGERSEEK GOD FOR DIRECTIONTRY A POWER NAPGO TO THE RIGHT SOURCEHOW GOD SEES YOUYOU HAVE TO “WALK OUT” THE PROCESS
February
GUARD THESE THREE AREAS OF VULNERABILITYSIMPLIFY YOUR LIFEONWARD AND UPWARDYOU NEED EACH OTHER (1)YOU NEED EACH OTHER (2)YOU NEED EACH OTHER (3)SHOWING GRACE TOWARD THOSE WHO DIFFER WITH YOUARE YOU HAVING A NIGHTIME EXPERIENCE?A HEART FILLED WITH GOODNESSCHRIST’S LOVE FOR YOUGIVE GOD ALL THE GLORYYOU’RE A REFLECTORYOU MUST CARE FOR THE NEEDY (1)YOU MUST CARE FOR THE NEEDY (2)YOU MUST CARE FOR THE NEEDY (3)DON’T GIVE UP ON YOUR SAULRECOVERING FROM BURNOUTSETTING THE CAPTIVES FREE (1)SETTING THE CAPTIVES FREE (2)HE WILL DO IT AGAIN!BEWARE OF SELF-PITYTODAY, CHOOSE THE RIGHT ATTITUDEBUILD A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CHILDREN“SERVANT” FOR LIFECHANGE YOUR EXPECTATIONSSTART MEMORIZING SCRIPTURESCHRIST IS COMING AGAIN!FRIENDSHIP
March
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