Monday - August 29, 2016

Woodlawn Family Bible Study
MONDAY

 BIBLE READING:  1 Corinthians 13

 Calm, cool and collected. These words bring about images of a child being comforted after a nightmare, a warm bubble bath, or maybe even a Kenny G album. Those are not the feelings you get when your two-year-old uses a Sharpie to draw you a picture on the fender of your white car...for the third time. Yet, these are exactly the kind of feelings we should strive to have toward those we love. 

 In Paul’s lessons on love in 1 Corinthians 13, he reminds us “love is patient and kind” (13:4). That means even when those we love mess up for the “umpteenth” time, we should remain calm, cool, and collected, and react in a soft, understanding way. However, that usually proves to be very difficult. Instead, we often have more of a “three strikes and you’re out” philosophy. When someone continues to mess up or make the same mistakes over, and over, and over again, we are very quick to lose our temper and patience. I know, because I am guilty of this reaction. There must be a limit, though, right? Even Jesus lost His cool when He overturned the tables in John, right? While He did turn over the tables, and make a whip out of cords, that does not mean that Jesus lost control. It also does not mean that Jesus was unwilling to forgive those individuals when they messed up. 

 We are allowed the emotion of anger and frustration – that isn’t the issue. The issue is our reaction. Paul goes on to say, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends” (1 Corinthians 13:7-8). What if Jesus were to lose his temper with us because we continue to commit the same sins over, and over, and over again? I am so thankful that He doesn’t. Our mindset should mimic Jesus. When those we love continue to disappoint us and mess up, may we all react in a calm, cool, and collected way.

 Application: Think of a different reaction you could have had to a stressful situation. How could that reaction have changed your day?

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