Extra Grace Required | By Pastor Rick Warren, Open Doors Devotional

"Ask God to bless those who persecute you - yes, ask him to bless, not curse."

                                                                                                     Romans 12:14

We all have EGRs people who come with Extra Grace Required-in our lives. They annoy us, anger us, frustrate us, and test us. But they also help us grow. God calls us to bless people who cause us the most trouble. How much more is this true for those who only annoy us?


Do what's right, no matter what the EGRs in your life do. If they insult you, treat them with kindness. If they wear on your nerves or they're too slow for your pace, treat them with patience.


You cannot control what other people think about you. You cannot control what other people do to you. But you do have 100 percent control over how you respond.


You might be completely within your rights to retaliate, but Jesus calls you to take the higher ground, for it is where you're given a clear perspective. When you take the high ground, you can see past a person's actions to their pain. When you take the high ground, you rise above the irritation and the conflict, choosing to keep the peace. You might have the perfect comeback to put them in their place, but Paul tells us to lift them up, not to cut them down.


Maybe you are thinking, "I don't have anybody persecuting me." Cross out the word "persecute" and replace it with "irritate." Ask God to bless the people who irritate you. Instead of asking God to judge them, ask him to bless them. This is what real love look: like. Real love doesn't just love people who are lovable; real love loves the unlovable. Real love is patient with th irritable people in your life.
 

God empowers us to love even those we find hard to love.

 

Extra Grace Required – Elmvale Community Church

Popular posts from this blog

Out of the Darkness....Into the Light! By Patrick McGinnis

  So, if you recall from last week’s post, a few days prior to landing in the hospital a few weeks ago, Stephanie and I were enjoying God’s amazing underground creation of Linville Caverns, near Linville Falls, North Carolina. It was incredible! So many colors, formations, textures, blind trout, and a “bottomless” lake, which without realization we stood directly over on a narrow walkway, until the tour guide informed us of our position! It was all quite remarkable! The coolest experience, though, was when we went as far into the caverns as was passable. Beyond that, the ceiling quickly reduced to approximately 18” and stayed that way for ½ mile before opening up into another series of caverns. Fun fact! According to the tour guide, in the late 1800’s Thomas Edison traversed that ½ mile of 18” tall crawl space, through several inches of water, in search of platinum necessary for the invention of the light bulb! He didn’t find any, but he did sign the wall of the cavern. Another...
Read more

But God | Rodney Holmstrom Global Field Director Celebrate Recovery

Image
”But God...raised us from the dead."  Ephesians 2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Two of my favorite words in the Bible..."but God..." It’s so comforting to remind ourselves that no matter how bad things may look for us in our life, family, or recovery today, we can confidently rise up and and declare with confidence these two powerful words: ‘But God!’ Isn’t it amazing to know God is raising you and I up to fulfill His purposes even when it doesn’t feel like it?! Keep going friend. God’s got you! Have a blessed day.
Read more

As Pure Gold | David, Local CR Leader

Image
Have you ever felt like God was nowhere to be found?  Have you ever just feel like you’re “hanging on for dear life” – hoping that some ray of hope shows up soon from the Father?     In the Old Testament book of Job, Job himself expressed those feelings.   A friend shared these verses with me this week.  He said they were an anchor for him in a 3-year struggle with depression.     Job 23:1-3 & 8-10  (NLT) says: Then Job spoke again: “My complaint today is still a bitter one,     and I try hard not to groan aloud. If only I knew where to find God,     I would go to his court… I go east, but he is not there.     I go west, but I cannot find him. I do not see him in the north, for he is hidden.     I look to the south, but he is concealed. But he knows where I am going.     And when he tests me,  I wil...
Read more