Focus

Pay attention to the tension in your body. Let go of it and any expectations to do anything other than God’s will today. Prepare yourself to hear God’s word.

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Read

Luke 17:1-4 (NRSV)

17 Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

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Reflect

Jesus gives us a pretty strong admonition in this passage about those who cause others to sin, doesn’t he? The world is full of temptations already, and we should not be leading someone else astray with our own offerings of temptation. I wish I could say that the Girl Scouts caused me to sin earlier this week by making Thin Mint cookies so readily available; however, I’m the person who ate the entire sleeve of those delicious cookies, not those sweet little girls! While people are indeed responsible for their own actions and sins, we certainly don’t want to be the one leading people astray by our own actions.

How many times have we invited people to gossip with us by sharing information we have no business sharing? How many times have we modeled the wrong behavior by speeding with our children in our cars? We do things so easily and carelessly sometimes that we don’t even think about the example we are setting for those we influence. Today, let’s be more mindful of our actions.

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Pray

Heavenly God, thank you for sending to earth the greatest influencer of all. May we heed the example of Jesus Christ as we live our lives for your glory. Let us not be stumbling blocks to others, but rather the exemplification of your love for us. Amen.

Go with God!