Matthew 9:36 – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Eyes that See the Hurting
Surrounded by crowds, Jesus chose to really see them. Behind the noise He discerned their aimless wandering through life, lacking meaning and direction. His heart broke with compassion.
We easily overlook people’s inner pain. Engulfed by our own concerns, their helplessness goes unnoticed. But Christ calls us to see through His eyes of empathy.
Harassed. Helpless. Hopeless.
The lost often mask distress behind a facade. But Christ sees the despair in each face – the fragmented families, addictions, depression, poverty. Their suffering deeply moves Him.
Who in your circles is wearing a mask but internally cries out? Ask God to break your heart with what breaks His. Let compassion propel you to act.
Lord, Give Me Your Heart
Jesus, help me see people as you see them, until it profoundly moves me. Open my eyes to see people and their pain as You do. Instill grace that compels me to enter in, listen, help, and offer hope found only in You.
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”Isaiah 29:13
Saying Without Meaning
God cares more about the attitude of our hearts than rote religious routine.
Mouthing spiritual-sounding words means little if our hearts aren’t engaged.
Beyond tradition, God longs for authentic connection.
It’s possible to know all the right prayers and motions yet miss the depth of real relationship. Action must flow from affection. Evaluate if your spiritual practices have become just empty routine.
Returning to First Love
Ask God to reawaken childlike awe and sincerity in your heart. Consider when your faith was fresh and full of zeal.
Though the newness fades, our core love for God remains. Return to uncomplicated devotion.
Stay sensitive to checked-out complacency in your walk with God. Keep your heart engaged, not just going through habitual motions.
God wants to be loved, not just habitually followed. Offer Him the priceless gift of your authentic self.
Lord, Ignite My Heart Afresh
Lord Jesus, I confess my devotion can become empty routine. Revive sincere passion in my heart. When repetition replaces intimacy, refocus me on connecting with You out of genuine love, not obligation. You desire true relationship.
“Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)
Examining Our Hearts
During the Passover feast, God commanded His people to remove all leaven from their homes.
Yeast causes bread to rise, picturing how sin swells up and permeates our lives.
This yearly ritual reminded Israelites to examine their hearts and take sin seriously.
As believers in Jesus, we also must regularly inspect our lives and root out “old leaven” – attitudes and behaviors that displease God.
Christ’s sacrifice frees us from sin’s power, making us new creations. However, we still struggle with remnants of our old nature that lead us astray if left unchecked.
Pride, greed, lust, bitterness, and selfishness can puff us up like yeast if not confronted and confessed.
Getting rid of sinful leaven requires brutal honesty. We must ask God to reveal blind spots and things sabotaging our spiritual growth.
While painful, facing the truth positions our hearts to be purified and transformed by the Holy Spirit’s cleansing fire.
Removing sin restores the sweet fellowship with Jesus that yeast corrodes.
Crumbs of Compromise
It only takes a small amount of yeast to leaven an entire lump of dough. Similarly, “little” sins or compromises spread and damage our whole lives if tolerated.
Believers often excuse gossip, white lies, inappropriate media, anger, or addictions as harmless. But these behaviors grieving the Spirit, have profound consequences if left unchecked.
Rationalizing and downplaying sins gives the enemy footholds. As issues accumulate over time, we become desensitized until flagrant wickedness seems normal.
Yeast is insidious and penetrating. The only solution is to sincerely confess specific sins and turn away from them.
We must remove even small bits of leaven to remain unleavened bread.
Living holy requires vigilance. Regularly evaluating our lives identifies areas needing God’s cleansing fire.
Even after cleansing, we must guard our hearts since sin crouches at the door.
Staying unleavened means promptly repenting when we stumble. God uses our trials to reveal and refine away sinful impurities.
Becoming New
Christ sacrificed Himself as the ultimate Passover Lamb to free us from sin and death.
Now saved by grace, we have a new unleavened identity in Him. Our old selves died on the cross so that we might live free in the Spirit.
However, living into our new natures requires intentionally removing the old leaven of wickedness.
As we increasingly yield control to the Spirit, He empowers us to reject temptations and walk in holiness.
Staying unleavened is only possible through relying on Christ’s strength. Our part is submitting our wills completely to Him.
God is pleased when we actively participate in the process of sanctification. Regular self-examination and repentance keep our lives pure and unleavened for Jesus’ glory.
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“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”Romans 12:18
Peace is an elusive commodity in our world.
Turn on the news and you’ll be bombarded with stories of strife and discord: wars, protests, political clashes, interpersonal conflicts.
Maintaining peace with others can seem like an impossible aspiration when there are so many forces working against it.
Yet as followers of Christ, we are called to “make every effort” to live at peace (Hebrews 12:14). This directive in Romans 12 makes clear our responsibility.
Peacemaking must begin with us, regardless of others’ attitudes and actions. We are to do all we can to promote peace.
Removing Barriers
Making peace requires examining our own hearts.
Do we harbor bitterness, nurse grudges, gossip, or cast judgment on others?
These destroy relationships and grieve the Holy Spirit. God wants us to take responsibility for removing inner barriers that hinder peace.
As we surrender past hurts to the Lord and walk in forgiveness, it clears away debris that chokes relationships.
Praying blessings over those who have wronged us cultivates empathy and softens hardened hearts.
And asking God to refine our speech and filter our words prevents many conflicts from igniting in the first place.
Depositing Seeds of Peace
Once inner walls come down through dealing with our own hearts, we can turn outward and actively deposit seeds of peace.
This starts with modeling qualities that defuse tension like patience, kindness, and self-control.
Taming our tongue and not returning insult for insult deprives quarrels of oxygen.
Lovingly confronting issues in their early stages, before they intensify, can prevent ruptured relationships.
Seeking to truly understand others’ perspectives rather than forcing our opinions fosters mutual edification.
God’s Peace in Us
Of course, living at peace is not fully up to us. We will encounter people who are difficult, divisive or downright antagonistic.
As much as it depends on us, we should pursue peace while trusting God with results that are out of our control.
And we can take comfort that God’s peace in our hearts is not contingent on perfect relationships.
By drawing near to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we tap into a wellspring of serenity that transcends circumstances.
His Spirit calms anxious thoughts, soothing relational tensions. Even when surrounded by hostility and chaos, we can know God’s peace guarding our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7).
Agents of Reconciliation
God calls peacemakers His children and tasks us with spreading peace in our spheres of influence (Matthew 5:9).
As ambassadors of reconciliation, we bring the ministry entrusted to us – one conversation, act of forgiveness, gesture of goodwill at a time (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily “One Minute with God” YouTube videos.
Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Solomon offers practical wisdom about the power of our words. A gentle response extinguishes fury, while harshness enflames strife.
Our speech holds incredible sway over relationships and situations.
The Default is Defensiveness
When criticized or confronted, our natural impulse is to fire back in defensiveness. We want to justify, refute accusations, and explain our rationale.
But this fans flames rather than calming conflict.
A gentle turn of phrase combined with engaged listening can peacefully disarm and unite. It validates the other, even when we disagree on issues. This opens the door to real communication.
Consider Your Audience
Aim to craft responses that account for your listener’s perspective and emotions.
What phrasing might diffuse tension rather than trigger defensiveness in them?
Speak the truth, but do so graciously.
Taming Our Tongues
This takes Spirit-empowered discipline over our reactions.
May God give us wisdom to pause and prayerfully consider constructive, compassionate responses – for our words carry power to harm or heal.
Lord, Set a Guard Over My Mouth
Lord, keep watch over my lips and tame my tongue. When faced with conflict or criticism, enable me to gently engage. Help me wield the formidable power of my speech to restore relationships through caring, thoughtful responses.
If you like these daily devotionals; you may be interested in our daily “One Minute with God” YouTube videos.
