(Our theme for October)

What does it take to be imitators of God? What is God like?

God is LOVE! To imitate him, we can do our best to display the Fruit of the Spirit - outlined for us in Gal. 5:22-23 – “…LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

This sounds wonderful…but it is so hard to constantly make this display! Have you noticed that an election is approaching, and ugly words are bombarding the airwaves of social media and TV?! Angry, hateful rhetoric and nasty name-calling spews from so many mouths! I just want to make the hate-mongers wash out their mouths with soap! But then I would be part of the problem! So, I will pray when I am overwhelmed by the barrage of negative words. I’ll pray over and over and I will cling to Jesus while biting my tongue!

It can be hard to get away from the negativity, so, I need to follow the advice found in Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every kind of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Great advice! So, I will pray when I’m overwhelmed by the barrage of negative words. I will remember how Jesus prayed for those crucifying Him. Over and over, I will cling to Jesus while biting my tongue to keep from giving back the hate and negativity that I hear from so many sources!

My friends, please join me in striving to imitate Jesus and let’s pray right now…

“Father forgive them, they know not what they do. And forgive me too Lord, for my harsh thoughts and feelings, for my negative and nasty words. Guide me to LOVE my neighbors – all of them – and to forgive as much as I wish to be forgiven. Help me to imitate you and Jesus. And in His name we pray. Amen.”

This devotional was written and recorded by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.