Monday: Cancel Culture vs Kingdom Culture
Scripture: Luke 6:27, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
Devotional Thought: We live in a world that cancels quickly and forgives slowly. One mistake? You're cut off. One disagreement? You're unfollowed. But Jesus introduces a radically different way to live, one shaped by love, not cancellation.
Real love doesn’t ignore sin or pretend there’s no pain. But it doesn’t retaliate either. Kingdom culture isn’t about getting even; it’s about being merciful. Jesus challenges us not to just tolerate our enemies, but to love them with action, not just intention.
Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, show me where I’ve been shaped more by culture than by Your kingdom. Help me resist the urge to cancel people and instead live with a love that looks like Yours.
Action Step: Take a moment to name someone you’ve cancelled or cut off in your heart. Begin asking God to soften your posture toward them.
Devotional Thought: We live in a world that cancels quickly and forgives slowly. One mistake? You're cut off. One disagreement? You're unfollowed. But Jesus introduces a radically different way to live, one shaped by love, not cancellation.
Real love doesn’t ignore sin or pretend there’s no pain. But it doesn’t retaliate either. Kingdom culture isn’t about getting even; it’s about being merciful. Jesus challenges us not to just tolerate our enemies, but to love them with action, not just intention.
Reflection:
- Where have you seen cancel culture at work in the world, in relationships, or even in your own heart?
- Who is someone you’ve “canceled” and why?
Prayer: Jesus, show me where I’ve been shaped more by culture than by Your kingdom. Help me resist the urge to cancel people and instead live with a love that looks like Yours.
Action Step: Take a moment to name someone you’ve cancelled or cut off in your heart. Begin asking God to soften your posture toward them.
Tuesday: Love that surprises people.
Scripture: Luke 6:28, “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Devotional Thought: When someone hurts us, the instinct is to match their energy: harshness for harshness, silence for silence. But Jesus flips that script: bless those who curse you. Speak well of the ones who’ve spoken badly about you. Pray for the ones who’ve mistreated you.
It doesn’t mean you excuse their behaviour. It means you refuse to become like them. This kind of love confuses the world and reflects heaven.
Reflection:
Prayer: Father, help me resist bitterness. Teach me to speak blessings when I want to retaliate. Let my words reflect Your grace, not my pain.
Action Step: Choose one person who has hurt or misunderstood you. Speak a blessing over them in prayer today. If you’re ready, send them a message of encouragement, even a simple “thinking of you.”
Devotional Thought: When someone hurts us, the instinct is to match their energy: harshness for harshness, silence for silence. But Jesus flips that script: bless those who curse you. Speak well of the ones who’ve spoken badly about you. Pray for the ones who’ve mistreated you.
It doesn’t mean you excuse their behaviour. It means you refuse to become like them. This kind of love confuses the world and reflects heaven.
Reflection:
- How do you normally respond to people who mistreat you?
- What would it look like to bless someone who’s cursed or hurt you?
Prayer: Father, help me resist bitterness. Teach me to speak blessings when I want to retaliate. Let my words reflect Your grace, not my pain.
Action Step: Choose one person who has hurt or misunderstood you. Speak a blessing over them in prayer today. If you’re ready, send them a message of encouragement, even a simple “thinking of you.”
Wednesday: Break the cycle.
Scripture: Luke 6:29, “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also…”
Devotional Thought: Jesus isn’t calling you to be passive; He’s calling you to be different. Turning the other cheek doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. It means refusing to participate in the cycle of pain.
When someone publicly or privately rejects, insults, or embarrasses you, you have a choice: perpetuate the pain, or break the cycle. And Jesus shows us how to do so with dignity, mercy, and strength rooted in love.
Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, help me to rise above insult, gossip, or rejection. Give me the strength to respond with mercy instead of resentment. I want to break cycles, not repeat them.
Action Step: Ask yourself: “What does love require of me here?” Write it down and act on it in one relationship that’s recently experienced tension.
Devotional Thought: Jesus isn’t calling you to be passive; He’s calling you to be different. Turning the other cheek doesn’t mean becoming a doormat. It means refusing to participate in the cycle of pain.
When someone publicly or privately rejects, insults, or embarrasses you, you have a choice: perpetuate the pain, or break the cycle. And Jesus shows us how to do so with dignity, mercy, and strength rooted in love.
Reflection:
- Where are you tempted to retaliate or match someone’s insult?
- Is there a situation where turning the other cheek would actually honour your identity as God’s child?
Prayer: Jesus, help me to rise above insult, gossip, or rejection. Give me the strength to respond with mercy instead of resentment. I want to break cycles, not repeat them.
Action Step: Ask yourself: “What does love require of me here?” Write it down and act on it in one relationship that’s recently experienced tension.
Thursday: Love without strings attached.
Scripture: Luke 6:35, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back…”
Devotional Thought: Jesus calls us to a love that’s not transactional. No score-keeping. No silent expectations. No emotional IOUs.
If you only love the people who love you back, that’s not kingdom love, that’s cultural comfort. God’s love flows toward the ungrateful, the broken, the wicked, and once, that was us. Now, as recipients of that kind of grace, we’re called to live it out.
Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for loving with conditions. Teach me how to love like You, freely, generously, and without strings attached. Remind me that I’ve received that kind of love from You.
Action Step: Give or serve someone today who cannot pay you back, emotionally, financially, or relationally. Let your love be a gift, not a transaction.
Devotional Thought: Jesus calls us to a love that’s not transactional. No score-keeping. No silent expectations. No emotional IOUs.
If you only love the people who love you back, that’s not kingdom love, that’s cultural comfort. God’s love flows toward the ungrateful, the broken, the wicked, and once, that was us. Now, as recipients of that kind of grace, we’re called to live it out.
Reflection:
- Where do you struggle with conditional love?
- Is there someone you’ve helped but now secretly resent?
Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for loving with conditions. Teach me how to love like You, freely, generously, and without strings attached. Remind me that I’ve received that kind of love from You.
Action Step: Give or serve someone today who cannot pay you back, emotionally, financially, or relationally. Let your love be a gift, not a transaction.
Friday: Mercy is the mark.
Scripture: Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Devotional Thought: You’ve heard it before: “Like Father, like child.” That’s exactly what Jesus is saying here. Mercy isn’t weakness. It’s evidence that God is forming you into someone who reflects His character.
God didn’t cancel you when you were at your worst; He pursued you. He didn’t cut you off. He covered you. That same mercy now flows through you to others. And it’s that mercy, not revenge or resentment, that writes a better story.
Reflection:
Prayer: Father, thank You for the mercy You’ve shown me. Let me never forget how much I’ve been forgiven. Help me become someone who reflects Your mercy to the world, starting with my enemies.
Action Step: Declare this out loud today: “I will not cancel people. I will love with mercy, live with no regrets, and follow Jesus into a better story.”
Devotional Thought: You’ve heard it before: “Like Father, like child.” That’s exactly what Jesus is saying here. Mercy isn’t weakness. It’s evidence that God is forming you into someone who reflects His character.
God didn’t cancel you when you were at your worst; He pursued you. He didn’t cut you off. He covered you. That same mercy now flows through you to others. And it’s that mercy, not revenge or resentment, that writes a better story.
Reflection:
- How has God shown you mercy when you didn’t deserve it?
- Where is God inviting you to extend that same mercy even if it’s not received well?
Prayer: Father, thank You for the mercy You’ve shown me. Let me never forget how much I’ve been forgiven. Help me become someone who reflects Your mercy to the world, starting with my enemies.
Action Step: Declare this out loud today: “I will not cancel people. I will love with mercy, live with no regrets, and follow Jesus into a better story.”