Alessandra walked out to her depot room to prepare for climbing into bed. She was nervous about her first time of tucking in a mosquito net.
After putting in her Bible, she checked the path from the light switch to the bed for bugs and turned off the lights, hopping in quickly. Once she had her mosquito net tucked in, she took a good five minutes checking the net for any invaders. Her hunt turned up nothing, and she congratulated herself on a job well done.
“What shall I read tonight,” Alessandra asked herself out loud as she settled in. Deciding to stay in the book of Philippians for a while, she read what Paul said in chapter one as a goal for every Christian. She skimmed down until she reached verse nine. “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That you may approve things that are excellent; that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Christ Jesus, unto the glory and praise of God.”
As she reflected on the passage, she concluded that the verse, “To be sincere and without offense,” meant being honest tactfully. Alessandra continued to reflect on that part of the passage and even prayed that God would mature her in that area of her life. Like her, we can also pray for the balance of speaking the truth with love, seeking justice and mercy, looking for both righteousness and grace. This balance can only improve our ability to share Christ more effectively.
