Daily Readings — God Loves Them Too
Monday, June 29
Jonah 4.1-4
Jonah was not angry because God was cruel. He was angry because God was compassionate. He knew God was gracious, slow to anger, and full of love, and that bothered him because God was showing mercy to people Jonah did not think deserved it.
That is where Jonah exposes something in us. We love mercy when we need it. But when God shows mercy to someone who hurt us, annoyed us, betrayed us, or disappointed us, mercy suddenly feels unfair.
Today, ask God to show you who your “them” is. Who is hard for you to love? Who do you struggle to imagine God loving?
Don’t rush past the answer. Write down their name and begin here.
🪞 Jesus, show me where my heart has become hard. Help me see the people I struggle to love the way you see them.
Tuesday, June 30
Matthew 5.43-48
Jesus does not tell us to love only the people who are easy to love. He tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who hurt us. That does not mean pretending the hurt did not happen. It does not mean removing wise boundaries. It does not mean giving unsafe people access to your life.
But it does mean refusing to let hate shape your heart.
Prayer is often the first step of love. Before you text them, call them, forgive them, or do anything kind for them, start by praying for them. Not a fake prayer. Not a bitter prayer. A real one.
Ask God to bless them. Heal them. Help them. Show them mercy.
🙏 Jesus, teach me to pray for people who are hard to love. Give me the courage to ask for mercy, not revenge.
Wednesday, July 1
Luke 6.32-36
Jesus says it is easy to love people who love us back. Everybody does that. The way of Jesus is different. We are invited to become merciful because our Father is merciful.
That means mercy is not just something we receive. It is something we practice.
Today, think about the person you wrote down. What would one small step of mercy look like? Maybe it is refusing to gossip. Maybe it is softening your tone. Maybe it is choosing not to replay the story again. Maybe it is praying for them when you would rather criticize them.
Small steps still count.
🌱 Jesus, make me merciful like you. Help me take one small step of love today, even if my feelings have not caught up yet.
Thursday, July 2
Romans 12.14-21
Paul gives us a hard command: bless those who persecute you. Do not repay evil for evil. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
This is not weakness. This is strength surrendered to Jesus.
Anyone can return hurt for hurt. Anyone can keep score. Anyone can rehearse resentment. But followers of Jesus are invited into a different way. We do not have to let someone else’s sin decide who we become.
Today, ask yourself: am I waiting for them to suffer before I can heal?
Jesus offers a better way.
🔥 Jesus, free me from revenge. Help me overcome evil with good and trust you with justice.
Friday, July 3
Ephesians 4.31-32
Bitterness does not usually feel dangerous at first. It feels justified. It feels like protection. It feels like we are just being honest about what happened.
But over time, bitterness starts shaping us.
Paul says to get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander. Then he tells us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving, just as God forgave us in Christ.
Forgiveness does not mean what happened was okay. Forgiveness means you are releasing your grip on revenge and placing the person, the pain, and the outcome into God’s hands.
🕊️ Jesus, help me release bitterness before it forms me. Teach me to forgive as someone who has been forgiven.
Saturday, July 4
Colossians 3.12-14
Paul says followers of Jesus are to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. In other words, love is not just a feeling. It is something we put on.
Some days, love feels natural.
Other days, we have to choose it.
Today, choose one practical step of love. Pray for them. Send the text. Make the call. Do something kind. Refuse to talk badly about them. Or, if the relationship is unsafe, keep your boundary and pray for them from a distance.
Do not try to do everything. Just take one step.
👟 Jesus, show me my next step of love. Give me the wisdom to know what love requires and the courage to do it.
Sunday, July 5
1 John 4.7-12
John says we love because God first loved us. Our love does not begin with our strength, our maturity, or our ability to be nice. It begins with God’s love for us.
That is good news, because some people really are hard to love. And if we are honest, sometimes we are hard to love too.
But God loves them too.
And God loves you too.
So today, come back to the source. Let God’s love for you soften your heart toward others. Let his mercy toward you become mercy through you.
Say YES to loving them too.
🤲 Jesus, fill me with your love so I can give your love away. Help me love the people who are hard to love.