This Month’s Theme:
A Love That’s Evident
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. – Psalm 67:1-3
Artist’s Reflection
“Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14)
In these difficult and uncertain times, we’re all wrestling with big and valid concerns: Covid-19, injustice, discrimination, cancelled plans, lost jobs, unexpected farewells. But what if we could do something small that’ll make all the difference to someone’s world?
Simple deeds can become big blessings when done in love. Check on a friend, you never know if they need someone to talk to. Pray for those in your circle, they may need it much more than you think. Help your neighbor with their groceries, it may be their only way of replenishing their supplies. Donate–even the smallest of donations can go a long way. Text a loved one, they may be lonely and hoping to feel connected with someone.
In Matthew 5:16, we are reminded to let our light shine before others. Small things done in love can make a huge difference.
How are we going to shine? By doing everything in love.
— Abigail
Join in the Conversation
God’s unfailingly good to us, but the stresses of everyday life, along with the constant bombardment of bad news, can dull our senses to His lovingkindness.
However, Scripture reminds us that God has already blessed us and has made His face shine on us (Psalms 67:1), and in turn, we can pass our blessings onto others – think of it as paying forward.
By seeking out the lonely, the hurting, and the broken, we’re shining a bit of God’s glorious love into their lives.
What does this look like? It could be inviting the lonely widow to your home for a coffee, sending someone a worship song that’s encouraged you in the past, or posting a hopeful message on social media (instead of simply perpetuating negative news threads).
This month we’re looking at A Love That’s Evident, and we invite you to join us as we look into ways we can bring God’s love into the lives of others.
Got a story to share about how God has been teaching you to love, relate to, and engage the broken world around us? We’d love to hear it!
Here are some subthemes to get you started:
- Practising acts of justice
- Growing in our love for mercy
- Walking humbly with the Lord
- Making God’s ways known on earth
Topics to Explore
Practicing acts of justice/mercy: Social justice, reaching out to the marginalized/defenseless, speaking up against injustice, stewarding the earth, racial discrimination, being counter-cultural, mission trips, volunteering, generosity, showing mercy to the undeserving, adoption/fostering.
Walking humbly with the Lord: Finances, tithing, checking our motivations, stewarding our gifts, depending on the Lord, dealing with disappointments and disagreements, humility, confronting our prejudices, keeping an open heart and open hands.
Making God’s ways known on earth: Evangelism, reaching out to unbelieving family members and friends, being a practical witness in the workplace and on social media, engaging with pop culture/the world/other faiths.