September 18th, 2025
Thursday, September 18th
I Won’t Take the Bait
By: Sheila Sonon
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." – 1 Corinthians 13:2
Life has a funny way of convincing us that achievement is the gold medal of existence. We measure ourselves by promotions, square footage, or—if we’re really ambitious—whether the laundry actually made it from the dryer to the closet in the same day. We sometimes chase after the “big” things—quoting Scripture like we’re on a Bible trivia game show, praying prayers that sound like they need subtitles, or doing good deeds that conveniently get noticed.
Paul reminds us: without love, it’s all just noise. You can be successful, smart, even “super spiritual,” but if love isn’t at the core, it’s as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
I’ll be honest: I work with a few people who seem to have a spiritual gift for pushing buttons. They’re condescending, they stir the pot, and sometimes I feel like I’m starring in a reality show called How Much Can She Take? The adversary would love for me to blow up and take the bait—but God’s grace has a way of whispering, “not today.” Even though my inner voice occasionally wants to type out a spicy email or launch into a speech worthy of courtroom drama, I don’t. God planted love in my heart, and I’d rather let that lead than regret my words later.
Love doesn’t always come wrapped in fireworks. Sometimes it’s patience with our kids, a smile for that coworker, or just biting our tongue when the comeback would’ve been so good. Love is what takes the everyday ordinary and makes it Kingdom extraordinary. Love is worth giving - today, tomorrow and always.
I Won’t Take the Bait
By: Sheila Sonon
"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing." – 1 Corinthians 13:2
Life has a funny way of convincing us that achievement is the gold medal of existence. We measure ourselves by promotions, square footage, or—if we’re really ambitious—whether the laundry actually made it from the dryer to the closet in the same day. We sometimes chase after the “big” things—quoting Scripture like we’re on a Bible trivia game show, praying prayers that sound like they need subtitles, or doing good deeds that conveniently get noticed.
Paul reminds us: without love, it’s all just noise. You can be successful, smart, even “super spiritual,” but if love isn’t at the core, it’s as useful as a screen door on a submarine.
I’ll be honest: I work with a few people who seem to have a spiritual gift for pushing buttons. They’re condescending, they stir the pot, and sometimes I feel like I’m starring in a reality show called How Much Can She Take? The adversary would love for me to blow up and take the bait—but God’s grace has a way of whispering, “not today.” Even though my inner voice occasionally wants to type out a spicy email or launch into a speech worthy of courtroom drama, I don’t. God planted love in my heart, and I’d rather let that lead than regret my words later.
Love doesn’t always come wrapped in fireworks. Sometimes it’s patience with our kids, a smile for that coworker, or just biting our tongue when the comeback would’ve been so good. Love is what takes the everyday ordinary and makes it Kingdom extraordinary. Love is worth giving - today, tomorrow and always.
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