Extra Grace Required
Love is not…rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. —1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT)
Marks of real love
1. Be
Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. —Proverbs 18:13 (Msg)
2. Be
A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense. —Proverbs 19:11 (HCSB)
3. Be
…each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. —Romans 14:12-13 (NIV)
Bear with each other, and forgive each other. If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you. —Colossians 3:13 (NCV)
4. Don’t
Do not bear a grudge against others, but settle your differences with them, so that you will not commit a sin because of them. —Leviticus 19:17 (GNT)
Prayer
God I’m tired of the pain. I’m wasting a lot of energy on the people who’ve hurt me. Fill me with the Spirit of love. Take over every area of my life. I ask you to forgive all my sins. And now I want to pass that forgiveness on to those who’ve sinned against me. I’m letting them go. If it takes a thousand time to do this until the pain goes away that’s what I’ll do. I want a master’s degree in love. In Jesus’ name, amen.