Welcome to In This Season! Our series of devotions appears Monday, Wednesday and Thursday of each week.
TODAY: MAY 15, 2024
Today’s Devotion was Written by Pastor Brenda Legred
Love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, a virtue of godly living (Galatians 5:22).
One of the greatest gifts of the Spirit is the proclivity to love. Our capacity to love is huge. Our desire to love and be loved is part of our DNA.
Yet, we’re challenged to love others, aren’t we? Consider how we feel when someone doesn’t share our opinions. Or folks make decisions we don’t agree with. How about friends who disappoint us and family members who push our buttons?
In the movie, As Good as It Gets, Helen Hunt is wracked by ambivalence about Jack Nicholson. He’s kind and generous, but he’s also agoraphobic, obsessive-compulsive, and terminally offensive. Helen complains to her mother: “I just want a normal boyfriend.” Her mother responds, “Oh, everybody wants one of those dear, but there no such thing.”
We live with the illusion that people should be normal, by our definition. We know in our heart that no one is without flaws and idiosyncrasies, and yet we are surprised, at times disgusted, when people don’t meet our expectations.
We can learn from porcupines. Yes, porcupines. Porcupines appreciate the finer points of their neighbors. They recognize they can be a bit prickly too. They learn to keep their barbs to themselves.
How do we love people, flaws and all? How do we give each other a little grace, a little space to be who we are? Easy actually! We were born to love, prone to love, and have unlimited capacity to love. God has made sure of it. All we need to do is practice, practice, practice. ;)
MAY 13, 2024
Today’s Devotion Was Written by Roxanne Landon
“…and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love.”
Ephesians 3:17
Grateful for Gravity, Grounded in Grace
As I was standing in mountain pose during a recent yoga class, the instructor talked about how grateful we should be for gravity. At first, I couldn’t understand why. Then I thought about how tenuous our existence would be if gravity didn’t prevent us from floating off the surface of this spinning orb we call Earth. Take a moment to stand up and plant your feet. Think about that sensation of being held in place — it’s comforting. We are truly “grounded” by gravity.
I also thought about the sense of security that comes from our faith. We are indeed grounded by grace. We are “held in place” by this gift that is freely given to us by God. It allows us, through faith, to be truly rooted in love. Knowing that Christ dwells in our hearts allows us to love and be loved in a more profound way.
MAY 9, 2024
Today’s Devotion was Written by Evan Lieber
May is here and with it comes the beautiful flowers of springtime. I trust many of us have already taken the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine weather with hike or bike ride, a day on the lake, or simply the comfort of a good book on a shaded porch and a soft breeze. Springtime is the time of new life, and fresh beginnings, and with that comes the annual “Spring Cleaning.” For me this year, it meant a deep cleaning of my apartment, the place always seems to sparkle with the floors mopped and surfaces dusted. I imagine many of you took time already this year to do some variation of cleaning out the garage, getting the boat summer ready, or planting some flower garden and cutting the grass.
Last week at Peer to Peer, a club I get to lead in the College and Career Center of Minnetonka High School Friday mornings, we took the theme of “Spring Cleaning” and asked ourselves how we might apply it to some of our relationships. Today I’ll present you with some of the same questions: Do you have any relationships that need some dusting off? Who haven’t you checked in with in a while? Do you have any relationships that need some pruning? Maybe you have a stink in one of your relationships that, if addressed, could prove beneficial for future growth. Do you have any relationships that need planted? Repaired? Weeded? Cleaned out?
Today I challenge you to turn your Bible to Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, then take some time to consider doing some spring cleaning of your own, whether literal or figurative.
MAY 8, 2024
Today’s Devotion was Written by Kari Beckel
The Winds of Change …
Whoa, did you feel that?” The young girl gasped and looked up at her mom as they walked toward the car. She slipped her small hand into her mother’s as they both stopped to look around. In the distance, they saw the trees bending and swaying under unseen power, the same strong wind that had almost blown the little girl over.
“Look at that wind,” her mom whispered, awestruck. “But I can’t see it!” came an almost instant reply, the confusion wrinkling the girl’s brow. “But you can feel it, can’t you?” her mom challenged. “And you can see what it’s doing to the trees, right?” A beautiful smile spread across her face like a rainbow. “Yes! And I can hear it too,” she beamed in wonder, turning back toward the trees to watch the mystery unfold.
On a windy day, I can stand on our porch and feel the wind, hear the wind, and see the effects of the wind moving things. It reminds me of how God is working in our lives right now. We can see His movement, hear His voice, and feel His presence. We can’t see Him with our eyes, but we see His power and love all throughout creation. Greater still, we feel Him and can even hear His still small voice of truth flowing through our thoughts like a gentle breeze in the sails of our souls. We can’t see the Spirit, but we can watch in wonder as He helps us understand God’s Word and apply it to our lives.
As we approach Pentecost season, may you feel the winds of change and know that the Holy Spirit is working through you, and God is in every part of it!
Looking for Updates?
We can keep you connected whether it is worship, digital, Mount Calvary news, or really entertaining videos.
