“Love never fails” (1Cor.13:8). “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself in love” (Gal.5:6). “We love because Jesus first loved us” (1Jn. 4:19). “Your love (Lord) is better than life” (Psalm 63:3). “Let all that you do be done in love” (1Cor.16:14). “Perfect love expels fear” (1Jn. 4:18).
Dear Jesus, “do everything in love”—that is very counterintuitive, often confusing and hard to do, but SO like you. Help us Lord. May your incomparable, unwavering, inexhaustible love change and free us. We don’t want our traumas and triggers to hold more mastery over us. We want your grace, humility, and Spirit to do that.
We love you, Jesus—and anyone else, because you first loved us, and still love us. Your cross is the measure of your love. Your occupied throne is the power for our love. Your return will bring the fullness of your love. Hallelujah, and thank you.
Re-humble, re-gladden, and re-free us to love well—in our easy-breezy, regular-messy, getting-harder, and impossible relationships. On this October Monday, help us “prove the wonders of your love,” and the sufficiency of your grace. Give us courage to “mount love-offensives”—as Jack Miller called them.
“That is,” (to paraphrase Jack,) “when not being cared for, sinned against, or ignored —instead of getting defensive, go on the offensive. Mount a love offensive. Repay harshness with kindness, criticism with humility, indifference with engagement, and grumpiness with curiosity.” Jesus, thank you for letting me experience Jack doing this for two decades. But thank you for eternally doing so. So Very Amen.