Our text today is Colossians 3:13:

“Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Some people are easy to love. Others require an extra measure of grace.

Paul’s words—”bear with one another”—don’t dazzle like “rejoice” or thunder like “proclaim.” But they are steadfast, calling us to stick together when personalities clash and patience wears thin.

To bear with someone is to make room for their flaws. It’s choosing compassion over criticism. It’s remembering that the person who irritates you carries burdens you cannot see.

We all need someone to bear with us. We have our blind spots. Our difficult days. Our habits that test others’ endurance. Yet God, in His infinite mercy, bears with us—again and again.

Consider Jesus with His disciples. They misunderstood Him, doubted Him, argued over status and position… yet He remained. He corrected them but never abandoned them. He bore with them, because love isn’t easily broken.

This is our invitation. When walking away seems easier, stay. When someone tests your patience, pray. When relationships stretch thin, remember how far Christ stretched for you.

It may not be glamorous, but it is sacred ground.

These quiet acts of forbearance might just be the holiest work we do today.

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our Bible text for today is Galatians 5:13:

“Serve one another humbly in love.”

Jesus never wrote a book. He never built a home or held a seat in government. But He did something far more lasting—He washed feet.

On the night before the cross, when fear could have ruled and power could have been displayed, Jesus knelt. In a room full of weary men with dusty feet, no one moved—except Him. He picked up a towel, not to prove a point, but to show a heart. He served, not for applause, but because love stoops low.

Paul captures this heart in Galatians when he writes, “Serve one another humbly in love.” Notice that word—humbly. Service without humility is just performance. But humble service? That’s the touch of heaven in an ordinary moment.

The world pushes us to rise, to climb, to be noticed. But Jesus knelt. He reached not for a crown, but for a basin and towel. True service isn’t about making headlines—it’s about making a difference in someone’s day.

Right now, someone near you needs what you can give: a kind word, a quiet presence, a simple act of care. Maybe it’s fixing a meal or folding someone else’s laundry. Maybe it’s sitting with a hurting friend, saying nothing at all. These aren’t small things in God’s eyes. They’re sacred.

Want to walk in Jesus’ steps? Pick up a towel. Bend low. Serve quietly. Love deeply.

The hands that washed feet are still at work today—through your hands.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Encourage One Another

Our verse for today is 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  

“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are already doing.”

I love this verse. It tells us what to do when you don’t know what to do. Some days, all it takes is a kind word to turn the tide.

Paul wrote these words to a young, fragile church. They were tired from waiting, worn down by hardship, clinging to hope. He didn’t tell them to fight harder or shout louder. He told them to encourage one another.

That’s no small thing. Encouragement isn’t just a compliment—it’s fuel for the weary. It says, “You matter. I see you. God isn’t finished with you yet.”

Even Paul needed that. After his conversion, many Christians didn’t trust him. Who could blame them? But Barnabas—whose name means “Son of Encouragement”—stepped in. He saw what others couldn’t yet see. He believed in Paul before anyone else did. Without Barnabas, Paul might never have found a welcome place in the early church.

We all need a Barnabas. And we all can be one. That’s the call in today’s verse: encourage one another.

Encouragement doesn’t need to be eloquent. Sometimes, it’s just a short note, a whispered prayer, or a quiet hand on someone’s back that says, “You’re not alone.”

Who knows how many battles have been won because someone dared to speak a word of hope?

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

“Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.” — Ephesians 4:32

Forgiveness is a strange gift. We give it, and yet it frees us.

Paul knew the human heart well. He didn’t say *forgive if you feel like it*. He didn’t say *forgive when it’s easy*. He pointed us straight to the cross: *forgive as God forgave you*.

That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Forgiving like He did. Not halfway. Not with strings. Not only after an apology. Just grace—grace that keeps no record, grace that lets go even when it still hurts a little.

But here’s the thing: when we carry bitterness, we’re the ones who feel the weight. It poisons joy, sours conversations, and keeps our hearts chained to the past. Forgiveness? It’s not saying what they did was okay. It’s saying we won’t let it define us anymore.

God didn’t wait for us to deserve it. He didn’t bargain or demand payment first. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. That’s our example.

Maybe you’re holding on to something today—a wound, a word, a wrong that still stings. Don’t wait for perfect closure. Forgiveness is the beginning of freedom, not the end of pain.

So take a quiet moment. Bring it to the cross. Whisper the name. Release the weight. And feel the gentle joy that comes when forgiveness finally gets the last word.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is John 13:34.

“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another.”

Listen to those opening words again, “A new command I give you.” It wasn’t a suggestion. It wasn’t a gentle nudge or a passing thought. It was a command.

Jesus could have said anything that night. He was hours away from the cross. Every word He spoke carried the weight of final things. And this is what He chose: love one another.

Not talk about love, not feel warm inside, not like the people who are easy to like. No, He said to love as I have loved you.

This is a new command because we are not commanded to love, but to love as Jesus loves us! That changes everything.

Jesus loved people who were hard to love. He loved the disciple who doubted Him, the friend who denied Him, and the one who would betray Him with a kiss.

We don’t get to choose who’s worthy. Love makes the first move. It steps over the line. It lets go of grudges. Love takes off the robe, ties the towel, and kneels at the feet of the very ones who will run when things get hard. Love serves!

Start there. Ask Him to help you love like He does—recklessly, relentlessly, and undeservedly.

Someone near you needs that kind of love. Let them find it in you.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Intro:

God never meant for us to do life alone.

From the garden to the upper room, from the wilderness wanderings to the early church, Scripture beats with a shared rhythm: — do life together. You won’t find a lone ranger version of faith in the New Testament. What you will find is a chorus of two simple words, sung again and again: — one another.

Love one another.  

Encourage one another.  

Forgive one another.  

Carry one another’s burdens.

Fifty-plus times, in fact. As if God knew we’d forget. As if He wanted to make sure we understood: faith isn’t just vertical—it’s horizontal too. How we treat each other says a lot about how well we know the One who first loved us.

Jesus didn’t leave behind a rulebook. He left behind an example. He knelt with a towel. He ate with sinners. He touched lepers. He wept at tombs and washed dirty feet. These “one another” commands? They’re not just instructions. They’re invitations to live like Him.

This series is a walk through ten of those invitations. With each step, we’ll learn how love looks when it wears work gloves. When it listens. When it shows up. When it stays.

Join me tomorrow for this important series on our relationship with God and “ONE ANOTHER.”

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our devotional thought comes from Psalm 41:4.  

“I said, ‘O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against You.'”

It’s just one sentence. But what a sentence it is.

David doesn’t dress it up. He doesn’t make excuses or try to hide behind fancy words. He simply says what every heart needs to say at some point: “I’ve sinned. I need healing. I need grace.”

There’s no grand speech here. No deal-making. No list of promises to do better next time. Just honesty. Just humility. Just a soul that knows it can’t fix itself.

This little verse models how to come back to God.

We all stumble. We all fall. But the beauty of God’s mercy is that He doesn’t wait for us to climb our way back up before He listens. He listens the moment our hearts turn toward Him. Confession isn’t a punishment—it’s the pathway to healing.

Every person should confess in prayer.

Not because God doesn’t already know—but because we need to say it. We need to unload the guilt. We need to come home.

And when we do, we find what David found: grace, healing, and the open arms of a God who loves us still.

So, take a moment. Speak honestly. God’s not looking for perfect words. Just a sincere heart.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our devotional prayer comes from Psalm 125:4:  

“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to the upright in heart.”

This short verse is a quiet prayer, not a boast or a demand—it’s a prayer, humble and sincere. 

We love the first part, “Do good, O Lord,” but the second part scares us, “to the upright in heart.” Most of us know that we are not perfect. It feels like we are not “upright in heart.” But who among is “upright in heart.” Moses committed murder, so did King David. Noah got drunk. Paul persecuted Christians. I’m not trying to call up failures of good people, but simply trying to remind you that you can be one of those good people. 

In this verse we read, “Upright in heart.” It is a phrase that speaks volumes. It tells us that righteousness isn’t just about behavior. It’s about the kind of heart we carry. God isn’t looking for perfect people—He’s looking for sincere ones. People who stumble, but who stumble forward, always trying to stay aligned with His will.

This verse was sung by the Hebrew worshipers as they ascended to Jerusalem. As they climbed the hill toward worship, they carried this prayer in their hearts.

“Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, to the upright in heart.”

I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.

The quote for today is from King David’s prayer, found in Psalm 40:17.

“But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”

Now pause and think—this is David speaking. The same David who ruled a kingdom, who led armies, who penned psalms that echo through the ages. The same David who, according to First Chronicles 29, gave from his own treasure three thousand talents of gold for the house of God. That’s roughly a hundred tons of gold—worth billions by today’s standards.

How can a man so wealthy say, “I am poor and needy”?

Because David knew what true wealth was.

He understood that gold could be weighed, measured, and locked in vaults—but it could not calm a troubled heart. It could not forgive sin. It could not stand beside you in the valley of the shadow of death. Only God could do that.

“You are my helper and deliverer,” he said. David’s security wasn’t in his treasure; it was in his trust. His riches didn’t define him—his relationship with God did.

We’d be wise to learn from him. Whether your bank account is overflowing or barely breathing, whether your title carries weight or you’re still looking for one—what matters most is who you lean on when life grows heavy.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.

Our text for today is Psalms 31:16

“Make Your face shine on Your servant; save me by Your loving devotion.”

I love this prayer, “Make your face shine” upon me. When David asks God to make His face shine on him, he’s using language rooted in blessing. This echoes the priestly blessing from Numbers 6:25: “The LORD make His face shine upon you…” It speaks of favor, acceptance, and divine attention.

We all still feel that way. We want God to shine his face on us. I heard the story of a little five-year-old girl who was telling her mother a story. Mother was very busy, as mothers usually are. The mother continues to listen as she goes about her work. The little girl chides her mother, “Mom, I want you to listen.” As any good mother would do, she assures her little girl that she is listening. The little girls, responds with “I want you to listen with your eyes.”

Listen with your eyes is what David is asking God to do. He longed for God to listen, not with a part of His attention, but with His full attention on David. It gives us strength to know that we have a God who turns his face toward us.

I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.