“Out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16); “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal. 5:6).
Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us grace upon grace, not karma in the place of more karma. We don’t get “what’s coming to us.” We get you, and what you earned for us—a perfect relationship with God right now, and a perfect future beyond all imagining. Grace is the most counterintuitive, shocking-our-sensibilities, supernatural reality there is. Keep shocking us Jesus.
Until you return, our main calling is to love as we are loved—to make grace, not karma, the engine and fuel for our relationships. We love you because you first loved us. We love others because you still love us and promise to resource every relationship we have.
That’s easy (and fun) when we’re with people who greatly love you, Jesus, and they choose to live as conduits of your mercy, kindness, and joy. But, we have “other” situations too. And many times, we are the one difficult to love.
Jesus, we so look forward to the Day when we will be made perfect in love—the forever-Day when loving will take zero effort (1 John 3:1-1). Until then, gentle, humble, and gladden us. Help us assume the best of others, even when their best is hidden in layers of hurt and hardship.
Keep us so aware of your love for us, Jesus, it will be difficult for us to remain ungracious in our thinking, unkind with our words, and unloving with our attitude. So Very Amen.