Daily Devotional for August 1, 2018
Love Like Muffin’s
“Muffin!” yelled two-year-old Isabel as she toddled into the living room. She plunked down on the floor next to Muffin, the family dog. Isabel reached out a chubby hand and pulled Muffin’s fluffy brown tail. Muffin didn’t bite or even growl. She just moved away as quickly as she could and lay down by the fireplace. Isabel followed. She tugged on Muffin’s ear. “Nice doggie,” she cooed. Muffin still didn’t growl or bite. Instead, she licked Isabel’s knee with her rough tongue.
“Careful, Isabel,” said Mom. She walked over, gently loosened the little girl’s hand, and helped her stroke the dog’s head. “Be nice to Muffin.”
“Why does Muffin put up with all that torture?” asked Marisol, who was sitting on the sofa with a book. “No matter how many times Isabel pulls her tail or ears, Muffin puts up with it and doesn’t even growl at her.”
“Muffin loves Isabel, just like she loves the rest of our family,” Mom replied.
Marisol nodded. “Muffin sure is a good dog. I wouldn’t be so nice if I were her!”
“We’re blessed to have a faithful dog who is so loving and patient with Isabel,” said Mom. She smiled as Isabel laid her head down on Muffin’s back. “Muffin is a good example of how we all should treat other people—even those who don’t treat us well.”
“Like when people are mean to us?” Marisol asked.
“Yes,” said Mom. “We need to do what the Bible teaches and show them love. Instead of trying to get even, we need to talk with them and resolve our issues in a calm way. Many times, people who hurt us don’t mean to—just like Isabel doesn’t mean to hurt Muffin. But even when they’re mean to us on purpose, Jesus wants us to do good to them—just like He did with us by dying to save us from sin. It’s not easy, but He will help us show His love to everyone, even our enemies.”
Marisol smiled. “Love like Muffin’s?”
Mom smiled too. “Something like that,” she agreed. “Jesus is the only one who can give us humans the kind of love we need to treat others the way we’d like to be treated ourselves.” – Wanda E. Brunstetter
How about you?
Do you treat others the way you’d want to be treated? The Key Verse for today is called the Golden Rule, and it’s one of Jesus’ greatest commands. It can be hard to follow when someone treats you badly, but remember that Jesus was treated badly too. He died on a cross so He could save you! Trust Him to fill your heart with His love so you can treat others the way He would.
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